Protective effect of SNP rs243865 MMP2 on the risk of uterine fibroids.

Abstract

Uterine fibroids (UF) are characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as collagens, fibronectin and proteoglycans, leading to fibrosis and aberrant tissue remodeling, which is crucial for UF. The aim of our study was to analyze the associations of polymorphic variants of the MMP1, MMP2, MMP3, MMP9 genes with the risk of UF. A protective effect of the SNP rs243865 (C/T) MMP2 relative to UF was found, and exclusively in the group of patients without a history of pelvic inflammatory disease (protective allele T: OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.43-0.91, p = 0.01). Functional annotation revealed that rs243865 may be involved in the molecular mechanisms of the disease through the regulation of apoptosis, cell proliferation, sex hormone levels, and cell signaling.