Abstract
BACKGROUND: Reactive oxygen species can attack and damage almost every molecule found in living cells, including proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and DNA. For this reason, their production is normally tightly controlled. Among the most important defenses against these radicals are the superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes and catalase (CAT). Increasing attention has been given to the role of reactive oxygen metabolites in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC), which is defined as an idiopathic and chronic intestinal inflammation. Accordingly, we hypothesized a relation between genetic polymorphisms in the two antioxidant enzymes SOD1 A251G (rs2070424) and CAT C-262T (rs1001179) and the risk of UC. METHODS: The present case-control study included 109 UC patients (46 males and 50 females) and 186 (67 males and 119 females) gender-matched healthy controls. Genotyping was done by the PCR-RFLP method. RESULTS: After adjusting for age and gender, a significant association was observed between the AG+GG genotypes of SOD1 A251G polymorphism (vs. AA genotype) and risk of UC (OR=0.29, 95% CI: 0.10-0.86, P= 0.025) after adjusting for age and gender. Our statistical analysis revealed that the CAT C-262T polymorphism did not associate with the risk of UC before and/or after adjusting for age and gender. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the present statistical analysis, the G allele of the SOD1 A251G polymorphism decreases the risk of UC, thus it might be assumed that the G allele has a protective role.