Association between MBOAT7 rs641738 polymorphism and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Objective To investigate the association between MOBAT7 rs641738 polymorphism and the development of NAFLD in the Chinese Han population in Qingdao, China, and to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD and its complication.Methods A total of 113 NAFLD patients who were treated in Qingdao Municipal Hospital and 74 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Blood samples were collected, DNA was extracted, and PCR and time-of-flight mass spectrometry were used to determine the genotype of MBOAT7 rs641738. The chi-square test was used to determine whether the distribution of genotypes met the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, in order to assess the group representativeness of samples. Clinical data and biochemical results including liver function were collected.The chi-square test was used for comparison of sex and genotype and allele frequencies between the two groups. The independent samples t-test and Wilcoxon rank sum test were used for comparison of continuous data between the two groups. The relative risk of NAFLD associated with gene polymorphisms was expressed as odds ratio ( OR) and 95% confidence interval ( CI) , and the non-conditional logistic regression model was used to calculate OR and 95% CI. Results There was no significant difference in the distribution of CC, CT, and TT genotypes of MBOAT7 rs641738 between the NAFLD group and the control group ( χ2= 0. 157, P = 0. 692) , and there was also no significant difference in the distribution of C and T alleles between the two groups ( χ2= 0. 365, P = 0. 546) . The non-conditional logistic regression analysis showed that the carriers with CC + CT genotypes of MBOAT7 rs641738 had a similar risk of NAFLD as those with CC genotype ( OR = 0. 923, 95% CI: 0. 685-1. 245, P = 0. 692) ; there was also no significant difference after adjustment for sex, age, and body mass index ( corrected OR = 0. 893, 95% CI: 0. 652-1. 223, P = 0. 481) . In the NAFLD group, the carriers with CC + CT genotypes had significantly lower levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein than those with CC genotype ( t =-2. 348 and-2. 113, P = 0. 021 and0. 037) , and there were no significant differences in the other indices ( all P > 0. 05) . Conclusion There is no significant association between MBOAT7 rs641738 polymorphism and the risk of NAFLD in the Chinese Han population in Qingdao.