Association of Methylentetraydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) 677 C > T gene polymorphism and homocysteine levels in psoriasis vulgaris patients from Malaysia: a case-control study

Abstract

BackgroundThe methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) enzyme catalyzes the reduction of 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate and methyl donors. The methyl donors are required for the conversion of homocysteine to methionine. Mutation of MTHFR 677 C > T disrupts its thermostability therefore leads to defective enzyme activities and dysregulation of homocysteine levels.MethodsThis case-control study (n = 367) was conducted to investigate the correlation of the MTHFR gene polymorphism [NM_005957] and psoriasis vulgaris amongst the Malaysian population. Overnight fasting blood samples were collected from a subgroup of consented psoriasis vulgaris patients and matched controls (n = 84) for the quantification of homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folic acid levels.ResultsThere was no significant increase of the MTHFR 677 C > T mutation in patients with psoriasis vulgaris compared with controls (χ2 = 0.733, p = 0.392). No significant association between homocysteine levels and MTHFR gene polymorphism in cases and controls were observed (F = 0.91, df = 3, 80, p = 0.44). However, homocysteine levels in cases were negatively correlated with vitamin B12 (r = -0.173) and folic acid (r = -0.345) levels. Vitamin B12 and folic acid levels in cases were also negatively correlated (r = -0.164).ConclusionsOur results indicate that there was no significant association between the MTHFR gene polymorphism and psoriasis vulgaris in the Malaysian population. There was no significant increase of the plasma homocysteine level in the psoriasis patients compared to the controls.

Computed tomography diagnosed cachexia and sarcopenia in 725 oncology patients: is nutritional screening capturing hidden malnutrition?

“…The rate of malnutrition can vary greatly depending on tumour site and stage; however, it is estimated to affect between 8% and 85% of cancer patients 1, 2, 3, 4. Identification of malnutrition is critical as it negatively impacts on prognosis and has been associated with a range of adverse clinical outcomes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Severe malnutrition is independently associated with mortality, with an estimated 20–30% of cancer deaths attributable to malnutrition 14, 15.…”

Blood homocysteine, folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 levels in psoriasis patients

“…It was shown in a study conducted in Istanbul in 60 patients without a control group that the blood homocysteine levels were high in the psoriatic patients with TT and CT genotypes 47 . However, the MTHFR gene polymorphisms in 310 psoriatic patients in Austria, 410 in the Czech Republic and 200 in Malaysia did not show a genotype having more T alleles than in controls; on the contrary, the wild-type (CC) MTHFR genotype was more common in psoriatic patients in the Czech Republic [49][50][51] . In Malaysia, the blood homocysteine level in patients with psoriasis from 3 different ethnicities (Chinese, Indian and Malaysian) was found to be similar to those in controls and the homocysteine level was observed to remain unaffected by polymorphism.…”

“…After the studies made in 1990s where high levels of homocysteine were found in plasma samples of subjects who had or would likely to have a history of myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke or peripheral vascular disease and the association of homocysteine with atherosclerosis and hypercoagulability had been shown [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] , along with increased attention to the comorbidities of psoriasis, as far as we know, 19 studies have been conducted to explore homocysteine levels in these patients. Homocysteine level was found to be high in 12 and normal in 7 of these studies [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] . Since this sulfur-containing amino acid is not taken through diet and not producing protein, homocysteine is formed via methionine catabolism 8,11,27 .…”

“…In Malaysia, the blood homocysteine level in patients with psoriasis from 3 different ethnicities (Chinese, Indian and Malaysian) was found to be similar to those in controls and the homocysteine level was observed to remain unaffected by polymorphism. In analyses carried out on the basis of ethnicity, the CT genotype frequency was found to be significantly higher than that in controls only in Malaysian psoriatic patients 49 . Although the MTHFR genotypes in psoriatic patients in Australia (n=310) did not differ from controls, the homocysteine level was found to be higher in 33 patients compared to that in controls 51 .…”

“…The most common defect seen worldwide is mild or moderate hyperhomocysteinemia accompanied by single nucleotide polymorphism in the MTHFR enzyme, which has been found to be associated with psoriasis in some studies 6,11,36,37 . Since plasma homocysteine level is affected by eating habits 38 and the genetic polymorphisms of the enzymes involved in its metabolism differ depending on the geographic region and ethnicity 15 , we aimed at investigating plasma homocysteine and homocysteine-related vitamin levels in psoriatic patients living in our region.…”