The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the most important candidate genes for the development of endometriosis, and VEGF genetic polymorphisms might be potentially associated with endometriosis risk. However, the results still remain controversial. The objective of this study aimed to perform a comprehensive meta-analysis to explore a better understanding of the effects of VEGF +405G>C genetic polymorphism on the risk of endometriosis. A total of eleven eligible studies were eventually identified in this meta-analysis, including 2829 endometriosis cases and 2947 controls. In the overall analysis, no significant association between the VEGF +405G>C genetic polymorphism and the risk of endometriosis was detected in all genetic models (for homozygote comparison [CC versus vs. GG]: OR = 1.21, 95% CI 0.67-2.19, P = 0.537; for heterozygote comparison [CG vs. GG]: OR = 1.16, 95% CI 0.86-1.56, P = 0.348; for dominant comparison CC/CG vs. GG: OR = 1.10, 95% CI 0.93-1.30, P = 0.263; for recessive comparison [CC vs. CG/GG]: OR = 1.03, 95% CI 0.73-1.47, P = 0.857; allele comparison [C vs. G]: OR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.70-1.40, P = 0.962). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicities, there was no significant association between VEGF +405G>C genetic polymorphism and endometriosis risk in Asians and/or Caucasians under all genetic models (all P-values >0.05). No publication bias was observed in this study. This meta-analysis supports that the VEGF +405G>C genetic polymorphism is not significant associated with the risk of endometriosis.
Keywords: Endometriosis; VEGF gene; genetic polymorphism; meta-analysis.
© 2015 by the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.