Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), endopeptidases degrading extracellular matrix, play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and vascular disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the C(-1562)T functional polymorphism in the MMP-9 gene and risk of stroke. We examined 322 patients with stroke and 410 controls. In the patient group, 52 % had type 2 diabetes. All subjects were genotyped for the C(-1562)T polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction and restriction analysis. A significant increase in T allele and CT + TT genotype frequencies was observed in patients compared with controls (OR 1.73, 95 % CI 1.34-2.23 and 1.89, 95 % CI 1.39-2.56, respectively). The T allele carriers were younger at the onset of stroke (63.5 ± 11.7 years) than patients with CC genotype (71 ± 14.1 years) (p = 0.0002). The comparison between patients with T2DM and without it showed that the T allele and CT + TT genotype were more frequent in T2DM patients (OR 1.48, 95 % CI 1.03-2.12 for T allele and 1.44, 95 % CI 1.93-2.24 for CT + TT genotype). In conclusion, our findings suggest that MMP-9 C(-1562)T polymorphism is significantly associated with risk of stroke in patients with and without T2DM.
Keywords: C(-1562)T polymorphism; MMP-9; Risk allele; Stroke; Type 2 diabetes.