Association between C-262T genetic polymorphism at the promoter region of the catalase gene (CAT) and the risk of inflammatory bowel diseases: Evidence from meta-analysis

The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are multifactorial chronic inflammatory disorders. There are association between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and development of IBD. Catalase (CAT, OMIM: 115500) plays an important role in clearance of ROS. The C-262T genetic variation (rs1001179) in the promoter region of the CAT has been reported. The -262T allele of this polymorphism has been reported to be associated with a higher promoter activity. Genetic association studies on the rs1001179 have led to conflicting results regarding its association with the risk of IBD. A meta-analysis of the literatures was carried out on the association between the CAT C-262T polymorphism and the susceptibility to IBD. In total, 7 studies including 1571 subjects (517 IBD cases and 1054 healthy controls) were included in the meta-analysis. There were significant associations between the study polymorphism and the risk of IBD (T carriers vs CC: OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.56-0.92, P = 0.10; T allele vs C allele: OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.62-0.94, P = 0.011). Similar associations were observed between the genetic variation and the risk of ulcerative colitis. It might be suggested that the -262 T allele has a protective role against development of IBD.