Role of the MTHFR C677T and 2572G> T polymorphisms in genetic susceptibility of migraine in Iranian population

Introduction: Migraine is a painful complex neurovascular disease characterized by recurrent moderate tosevere headaches. Increased level of homocysteine is related to dilation of cerebral vessels and endothelial injurythat could trigger migraine attacks. Functional polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene affect homocysteinemetabolism therefore, play an important role in the etiology of the disease. We aimed to investigate the possibleassociation between MTHFR gene 2572G> T, C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and the risk of migraine inIranian population.Methods: In the present genetic association study, 295 individuals were enrolled, including, 148 migrainepatients and 147 healthy controls. Genotyping was performed using TP-ARMS-PCR for 2572G> T and PCRRFLPfor C677T and A1298C polymorphisms.Results: The association was observed between 2572G> T and C677T polymorphisms and migraine in thepatients. For the 2572G> T polymorphism, the association was detected under a recessive model (P = 0.02; OR =1.76; 95% CI, 1.08-2.87) and for the C677T polymorphism, the heterozygote genotype (CT) frequency wassignificantly different in the studied groups (P = 0.02; OR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.06-2.85). No significant differencesin the genotype or allele frequencies were found for the A1298C polymorphism between the migraineurs andcontrols.Conclusion: Present data provide evidence for the association of 2572G> T and C677T polymorphisms in theMTHFR gene and migraine. Further studies are required to validate the significance of the studied geneticvariations in diverse ethnic populations.

Keywords:

Migraine , Genetic association study , MTHFR , Single nucleotide polymorphism