The aim of this study was to determine the association between P2X7R rs3751142 and CARD8 rs2043211 polymorphisms and gout susceptibility in male Korean subjects. This study enrolled a total of 242 male patients with gout and 280 healthy controls. The polymorphisms of two individual genes including rs3751142(C>A) in the P2X7R gene and rs2043211(A>T) in the CARD8 gene were assessed using Taq-Man analysis. Statistical analyses were performed using the Chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and logistic regression analyses. A difference in genotypic frequency of the P2X7R rs3751142 and CARD8 rs2043211 genes was not detected between gout and control patients. Clinical parameters including age, onset age, disease duration, body mass index, and serum uric acid levels were not different among the three genotypes for either P2X7R or CARD8 (P > 0.05 for all). A pair-wise comparison of P2X7R rs3751142 and CARD8 rs2043211 genotype combinations revealed that subjects with the CA P2X7R rs3751142 genotype and the TT CARD8 rs2043211 genotype had a trend toward a higher risk of gout compared to the CC/AA combination (P = 0.056, OR = 2.618, 95% CI 0.975 - 7.031). In conclusion, this study revealed that genetic variability of the P2X7R rs3751142 and CARD8 rs2043211 genes might, in part, be associated with susceptibility for gout.
Keywords: CARD8; Gout; Inflammasome; P2X7R; Polymorphism.