Exploring the potential link between vitamin D receptor Cdx2 gene polymorphism and rheumatoid arthritis in female patients: a study in Erbil, Kurdistan Region-Iraq

Abstract

Introduction

In recent decades, vitamin D has been extensively researched in relation to several autoimmune diseases, including Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).

Objective

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between RA and polymorphism in vitamin D receptor gene Cdx2 in a sample of women.

Methods

Eighty females (60 with RA and 20 controls) participated in this case–control investigation. The Cdx2 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the VDR gene was genotyped using the tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction technique (ARMS-PCR).

Results

The current study found that 51 RA patients have the heterozygous GA genotype of the Cdx2 polymorphism despite non-significant values. Although the present findings showed no significant association between Cdx2 gene polymorphism and the risk of RA, this genotype still represents the majority among the study's RA patients. Moreover, vitamin D3 serum was significantly lower in RA with the GA genotype compared to healthy controls (HC) with a similar genotype (p = .0002). Also, RA patients with heterozygote GA genotype for Cdx2 had a relatively lower mean VD3 serum level than those with homozygote GG genotype.

Conclusion

The novelty of this study is to discover the probable association of Vitamin D receptor, caudal-related homeobox 2 (VDR-Cdx2) polymorphism with RA in the given study group for the first time in our society using a tetra primer ARMS-PCR. Additionally, the tetra-primer ARMS-PCR technique is simple, reliable, and cost-effective, making it a potentially valuable alternative to Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RFLP-PCR) for (SNP) genotyping.