Association of CYP27B1 Polymorphism and Vitamin D Levels with Multiple Sclerosis Development in Lebanese Population of Bekaa Region: A Preliminary Study

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Interaction between genetic and environmental factors guides the development of the disease. Among environmental factors, vitamin D deficiency is shown to increase the risk of MS development. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cytochrome P450 family 27 subfamily B (CYP27B1) gene that encodes the rate-limiting enzyme involved in vitamin D metabolism, were shown to be correlated with MS. We aimed at investigating the association of CYP27B1 gene polymorphisms and vitamin D level with MS development in a sample of Lebanese MS patients living in the Bekaa region. Enrolled MS patients and controls were age and gender matched. Genotyping was performed by sequencing the amplified CYP27B1 PCR products. Vitamin D levels were measured using a VIDAS® 25 OH Vitamin D total assay based on enzyme linked fluorescent assay (ELFA). Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for statistical analysis. A significant association was shown between vitamin D deficiency and MS without any association between CYP27B1 studied SNPs and the disease. We confirmed that vitamin D deficiency was associated with MS with no implication of the studied SNPs of CYP27B1 gene with disease susceptibility among the Lebanese MS patients living in the Bekaa region.