Vitamin D receptor gene FokI variant in diabetic foot ulcer and its relation with oxidative stress.

Abstract Purpose The patient's suffering and financial costs affiliated with Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU), as one of the most important complications of diabetes, are highly undesirable and this highlights the importance of preventive medicine about this disorder. Furthermore hyperglycemia causes generation of free radicals which leads to oxidative stress (OS). Hence, this study aims to examine the association between vitamin D receptor ( VDR) gene Fok I polymorphism and DFU in Iranian population and also its correlation with OS biomarkers. Materials and methods In a case-control study, a total of 212 patients with type 2 diabetes with and without diabetic foot ulcer were included. Genotyping was conducted by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Samples were analyzed for thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS) and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) as markers of OS. Results The results indicated a significant difference in genotype frequencies of VDR gene Fok I polymorphism in patients with diabetic foot ulcer in comparison to those without diabetic foot ulcer (TT + TC vs. CC p  = 0.04; OR = 1.76; 95% CI = 1.02–3.05). Moreover, the patients carrying the T allele had a significantly higher level of TBARS ( p  = 0.01). Conclusions We found a significant association between Fok I functional variant of VDR gene and diabetic foot ulcer in an Iranian population. Increased levels of TBARS in patients carrying the T allele of Fok I polymorphism indicate an association between this variant and OS in patients with diabetes.