Cytochrome P450 and manganese superoxide dismutase genes polymorphisms in systemic lupus erythematosus

Objectives: To investigate the role of cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD) genes polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Taiwan. Methods: CYP1A1 and Mn SOD genes polymorphisms were determined by the polymerase chain reaction/ restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method in 90 patients with SLE and 94 healthy controls. Results: The genotype frequency of CYP1A1 4887C/A was significantly higher in patients with SLE than in controls. The allele and phenotype frequencies of CYP1A1 4887A were also significantly increased in SLE patients. In contrast, there were no significant differences in the genotype, allele and phenotype frequencies of Mn SOD C1183T polymorphisms between patients with SLE and controls. We also found that SLE patients with CYP1A1 4887A had a trend of increasing prevalence of renal involvement, while Mn SOD C1183T polymorphisms were not associated with the renal involvement in SLE. Conclusions: CYP1A1 4887A may be a precipitating factor for the development of SLE. It also tended to be associated with the occurrence of renal involvement in SLE patients. A synergistic effect was found between CYP1A1 4887C/A and Mn SOD 1183T/T on the susceptibility to SLE.