Vitamin D binding protein gene polymorphisms in ulcerative colitis among those of Han Chinese ancestry: Pathogenetic, diagnostic and management implications.

Background and objectives Vitamin D deficiency has been reported in patients with ulcerative colitis, and polymorphism in the gene encoding the vitamin D binding protein can affect the characteristics of vitamin D binding protein, thus affecting the level and function of vitamin D in vivo. Previous studies have rarely reported on the potential relationship between vitamin D binding protein polymorphisms and ulcerative colitis. The objective of this study is to investigate the associations between genetic variants in vitamin D binding protein genes and ulcerative colitis susceptibility in the Han Chinese population. Methods and study design In this casecontrol study, the genotyping of vitamin D binding protein rs4588 and rs7041 polymorphisms was conducted using polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reactions, genotypes were detected by polymerase chain reactionligase fragment length polymorphism. We also measured inflammatory factors, oxidation and antioxidant indicators. Results There was no significant difference in the distribution of two loci genotypes, alleles and haplotypes between the two groups (p>0.05). However, the differences in the distribution of serum MDA in different haplotypes in the case group were statistically significant (p=0.014): CG>, CT>AT. Conclusions Our results suggest that polymorphism of these two sites (rs4588 and rs7401) in the vitamin D binding protein gene may have no correlation with susceptibility to ulcerative colitis in the Han Chinese population. But, interestingly, haplotype GC may affect the level of oxidative stress in ulcerative colitis patients, especially the level of malondialdehyde.