Polymorphisms in the promoters of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 genes in patients with acne vulgaris.

Acne, a chronic inflammatory skin disease, can be seen at any age but it most often occurs in adolescents and young people. Several factors, including increased sebum production, abnormal cornification of the pilosebaceous units, proliferation of Propionibacterium acne, and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, are thought to be associated with the pathogenesis of the acne. The remodeling of the ECM is regulated by a balance between matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors called tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). The current study investigated the potential association between MMP-2 (-1306 C/T) and TIMP-2 (-418 G/C) polymorphisms and the risk for acne in a Turkish population. The study was conducted with 85 subjects who presented to the Dermatology Department of Duzce University Hospital. DNA was isolated from 2 ml of peripheral blood taken from each subject, and their genotypes were analyzed with the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The CC, CT, and TT genotypes for MMP-2 (-1306 C/T) polymorphism were similar between the patient and control group (24 [55.8%], 17 [39.5%], and 2 [4.7%], respectively, vs. 21 [50%], 18 [42.9%], and 3 [7.1%], respectively). However, the distribution of the GG, GC, and CC genotypes for TIMP-2 (-418 G/C) polymorphism were different between the patient and control group (30 [69.8%], 9 [14.8%] and 4 [9.3%], respectively, vs. 26 [61.9%], 14 [33.3%], and 2 [4.8%], respectively). The results demonstrated that the TIMP-2 (-418 CC) genotype was nearly two times more common in the patient group compared to the control group (p=0.686, OR=1.45). It may be possible that the TIMP-2 (-418 CC) genotype increases the tendency to develop acne vulgaris by disrupting the balance between MMPs and TIMPs. Further investigations are needed to clarify more precisely the relationship between acne and MMP-TIMP genes.