[The associations of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and ulcerative colitis].

Objective: To investigate the association between the genetic polymorphisms of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and ulcerative colitis (UC) of Han ethnic population in Zhejiang, China.

Methods: Two hundred and seventy-four consecutive patients with UC and 726 healthy controls (HC) were studied. The genetic polymorphisms of MTHFR (C677T and A1298C) were genotyped using PCR-RELP methods.

Results: The frequencies of variant allele and genotype in MTHFR A1298C gene were higher in UC patients than in the HC (35.77% vs 29.96%, P = 0.013; 52.19% vs 44.90%, P = 0.039; respectively). However, there were no significant discrepancies of the allele and genotype frequencies in the MTHFR C677T gene between the UC patients and the HC (P > 0.05). In addition, the MTHFR 677TT homozygote, T allele and 677CT/1298AC compound genotype were more prevalent in patients with extensive colitis than in those with distal colitis (37.66% vs 14.72%, P = 0.0002; 49.35% vs 32.99%, P = 0.0004; 29.87% vs 15.23%, P = 0.006; respectively). Furthermore, the variant allele in the MTHFR A1298C gene (C) in severe UC patients was significantly lower than in mild and moderate UC patients (18.97% vs 33.88%, P = 0.022).

Conclusion: The genetic polymorphisms of MTHFR C677T and A1298C are obviously associated with Han ethnic population with UC in Zhejiang province.