Abstract
BACKGROUND: The present study was designed to investigate the MMP9 genetic variants (rs20544 and rs17576) and plasma MMP9 in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and their relation with cognition and suicide attempt. METHODS: The study comprises 216 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 216 age-matched controls. MMP-9 genetic variants were genotyped using a TaqMan Allelic Discrimination assay in schizophrenia and controls. Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) scores were used to evaluate cognitive status. Suicidal ideation was assessed using the Columbia suicide severity rating (CSSR) scores. The genetic data were analyzed using the χ (2) test, and plasma MMP-9 levels were compared across schizophrenia genotypes using the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: The GG variant (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.182-3.38, p = .007), AG variant (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.101-2.823, p = .01) and G allele (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.11-1.90, p = .004) of rs17576 showed higher frequency in patients with schizophrenia in comparison with controls. The CC genotype variant (OR: 0.4916, 95% CI: 0.2723-0.8874, p = .01) and the C allele (OR: 0.776, 95% CI: 0.580-1.021, p = .04) of rs20544 showed lower frequencies in patients with schizophrenia compared with controls. Plasma MMP9 levels were higher in TT (p = .01) and CT genotypes (p = .01) in comparison with the CC genotype of rs20544 in schizophrenia. Plasma MMP-9 levels were not significantly different among genotypes of the rs17576 variant. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the MMP9 genetic variants were associated with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, but not with cognitive impairment and suicide attempt.