Vascular endothelial growth factor gene polymorphisms and association with age related macular degeneration in Indian patients.

BACKGROUND: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an important cause of visual impairment in elderly people. AMD is a multifactorial disease in which both environmental and genetic factors have been implicated. Various single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been found to be associated with AMD.

AIM: This study was aimed to investigate the association of polymorphisms in VEGF genes with age related macular degeneration (AMD) in Indian patients.

METHOD: Genotyping for the VEGF - 1154 (G > A), - 2578 (C > A), + 405 (G > C) and - 460 (C > T) SNPs was performed in 100 AMD patients and 100 controls by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and sequencing method.

RESULTS: Out of the four SNPs, heterozygous genotypes of VEGF - 1154 G > A (OR = 2.58, p = 0.0035), + 460 C > T (OR = 2.90, p = 0.0046), and + 405 G > C (OR = 2.02, p = 0.02) have shown susceptible association with AMD. However, VEGF - 2578 C > A did not show any statistical significance. Further A-A-G-T haplotype comprising of three mutant alleles revealed risk association (OR = 12.7, p = 0.0030) with AMD.

CONCLUSION: The present study suggests significant genetic associations for VEGF - 1154 G > A, + 460 C > T, and + 405 G > C polymorphisms with AMD. Early detection of individuals with risk to these SNPs could lead to strategies for prevention, early diagnosis, and management of AMD.