Association of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) 2518A/G Polymorphism with Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy in Korean Type 2 Diabetes

PURPOSE: Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a chemokine that can increase adhesion molecule expression on monocytes and produce superoxide anions. Hyperglycemia induces MCP-1 production in vascular endothelial cells and retinal pigmented epithelial cells, and has been implicated as a causal factor in the facilitation of vascular complications in diabetes. In the present study, we evaluated the association of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the MCP-1 gene with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in a Korean population with type 2 diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a case-control study, which enrolled 590 subjects with type 2 diabetes, and SNP genotyping of c.2518A/G in the MCP-1 gene was performed using polymerase chain reaction followed by digestion with PvuII restriction enzyme. RESULTS: The prevalence of c.2518A/G polymorphism in diabetic patients was 13.2% (A/A), 47.1% (A/G) and 39.7% (G/G). In patients with diabetic retinopathy, the prevalence of PDR was significantly higher (p=0.009) in diabetic subjects with the c.2518A/A genotype (35.9%; n=78) compared to those with either the A/G or G/G genotype (22.3%, n=512). The prevalence of any other micro and macro-complications, including nephropathy and cerebrovascular events, were not different according to the c.2518A/G genotype. CONCLUSION: Our new genetic findings suggest that the c.2518A/A genotype in MCP-1 could be used as a susceptibility gene to predispose Koreans exhibiting type 2 diabetes for the development of PDR.