Background: The etiological factors associated with prostate cancer (CaP) have not been completely understood as yet. Genetic predisposition and inflammation is fast emerging as risk factors for CaP is a key player in the innate immune response and plays role in immune- surveillance and inflammation. The present study was conducted to evaluate TLR-4 gene polymorphism in patients with CaP.
Material and methods: DNA was isolated from blood samples of 198 patients with CaP, 200 cases of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and 119 controls. TLR-4 gene polymorphisms Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile were determined by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) technique using Nco1 and Hinf 1 restriction enzymes. All statistical calculations were performed using SPSS for windows, version 13 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA).
Results: A significantly high proportion of patients with CaP had AG genotype (16.6%) as compared to control (4.2%) [OR-4.4, 95% CI (1.57-13.26), P =0.0013] with respect to Asp299Gly single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). AA genotype showed a protective effect towards CaP development [OR-0.39, 95% CI (0.18-0.83), P=0.007). A trend was observed towards development of BPH with respect to AG genotype (P=0.06). Thr399Ile SNP was not significantly different among the population groups studied.
Conclusions: This finding highlights the genetic predispositions to CaP with respect to TLR-4 gene. Individuals with Asp299Gly polymorphism having AG genotype appear to have four fold higher risk for development of Prostate cancer.
Keywords: Gene polymorphism; TLR-4; prostate cancer; toll like receptor-4.