Investigation of the Relationship Between MTHFR C677T Gene Variation and Serum Copper Levels in Patients Diagnosed with Parkinson's

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigation of the relationship between MTHFR C677T gene variation and serum copper levels in patients diagnosed with Parkinson's. Materials and Methods: For our study, patient and control groups were formed including 63 Parkinson's patients and 32 healthy controls. Genotype distributions for MTHFR gene variation were determined and serum copper levels were measured. In these processes PCR, RFLP and atomic absorption spectrophotometer methods were applied. Results: Serum Cu levels of Parkinson's patients were found to be significantly higher than healthy controls. Although the significant difference was not found between the patient and control groups in terms of genotype distributions of the MTHFR C677T gene variation, CC homozygote genotype of this gene variation was observed significantly more than other genotypes in the patient group. In addition, the C allele frequency of this gene variation was determined significantly different from the Hardy-Weinberg distribution in Parkinson's patients. Serum copper levels of Parkinson's patients carrying CT and TT genotypes were detected significantly higher than the serum copper levels of controls carrying the same genotypes. Conclusion: In our study, in Thrace population, it was determined that the relationship between MTHFR C677T gene variation and serum copper levels may be an important factor for Parkinson's disease. In conclusion, the evaluation of MTHFR C677T gene variation genotype distributions and serum copper levels together is extremely important for prognosis of Parkinson's disease.