Vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) polymorphisms and haplotypes in Korean women with advanced endometriosis / 대한산부인과학회지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Endometriosis is the presence of normal endometrial mucosa (glands and stroma) abnormally implanted on the outside of uterus. The pathophysiology of endometriosis is not clear yet, but Sampson's theory of the transplantation of endometrial tissue onto the pelvic peritoneum via retrograde menstruation is most widely accepted. Vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) is involved in the pathophysiology of endometriosis via its angiogenetic property. This study was designed to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphism and its haplotype and diplotype of VEGF genes are associated with the risk of advanced endometriosis or not. METHODS: This study investigated 260 patients of endometriosis; they underwent operation, and were diagnosed with endometriosis stage III, IV histopathologically. And control group of 199 women underwent surgery with benign ovarian cyst. The single nucleotide polymorphisms of VEGF gene were -2578C>A, 405G>C, 936C>T. They were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism, and haplotype and diplotype analysis were done. RESULTS: The result of this study showed no association among -2578C/A, 405G>C, 936C>T single nucleotide polymorphisms and severe endometriosis. Haplotype and diplotype of -2578C>A, 405G>C, 936C>T in the VEGF gene were shown to have no association with endometriosis. We found no association between VEGF genetic polymorphism and risk of endometriosis. And haplotype and diplotype analysis also revealed no statistically significant value between VEGF polymorphism and endometriosis. CONCLUSIONS: So, the results of this study suggest polymorphism of VEGF gene may not be associated with risk of endometriosis in Korean women.