Background and object: It has been suggested that the SLC22A12 gene polymorphism may be involved in the mechanism of renal urate handling. The purpose of the current study was to identify the effect of the T6092C polymorphism of the SLC22A12 gene on serum uric acid concentrations in the Korean population.
Methods: We examined 196 healthy subjects (141 males and 55 females) in this study. Among the SLC22A12 gene polymorphism, the T6092C polymorphism in intron 4 at rs1529909 of the SLC22A12 gene was evaluated using denaturing high performance liquid chromatography analysis. Diverse clinical parameters of renal urate handling derived from fasting blood and urine samples, such as the serum uric acid concentration and the fractional excretion of uric acid (FEUA), were also assessed for identification of the relationship between genotypic variations. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test, ANOVA test, and the Pearson correlation coefficient analysis to determine which indicators involved serum uric acid. And the significance of these indicators was then confirmed by multivariate regression analysis.
Results: The prevalence of the T6092C polymorphism (TT, TC, and CC) was 58.2%, 37.2%, and 4.6%, respectively. Only the concentration of serum uric acid and the FEUA in male subjects differed significantly among each genotype (p=0.038 and p=0.013, respectively). Serum uric acid concentrations in male subjects with the TT genotype were increased compared with those with the TC as well as the TC or CC genotypes (6.2+/-1.2 vs. 5.7+/-1.3, p=0.039 and 6.2+/-1.2 vs. 5.6+/-1.3, p=0.019, respectively), whereas there was no significant difference between CC genotype and TT genotype in serum uric acid (p=0.066). No significant difference between clinical indicators and genotypes existed in females. The T6092C polymorphism of the SLC22A12 gene, serum creatinine, and the FEUA were significantly associated with the concentration of serum uric acid.
Conclusion: This study showed that the T6092C polymorphism of the SLC22A12 gene may be involved in renal urate handling and the concentration of serum uric acid, in male subjects.