Mir-146a Genetic Polymorphism Contributes To The Susceptibility To Hepatocellular Carcinoma In A Chinese Population

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common and highly malignant primary tumor worldwide. In the present study, we assessed the association of miR-146a, miR-196a2 and miR-499 polymorphisms with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. During January 2014 and October 2015, 165 new HCC patients and 284 healthy control subjects were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. Genotype analysis of miR-146a, miR-196a2 and miR-499 genetic polymorphisms was done using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method. Using logistic regression analysis, we observed that the CG and GG genotypes of miR-146a significantly elevated the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in comparison to the CC genotype, and the adjusted ORs (95% CI) were 1.638 (1.042-2.581) and 3.113 (1.652-5.866), respectively. The G allele of miR-146a was associated with a higher risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma in comparison to the C allele (OR=1.739, 95% CI=1.302-2.321). However, no significant association was observed between miR-196a2 and miR-499 genetic polymorphisms and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. In conclusion, we observed that GG and CG genotypes and G allele of miR-146a contribute to increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in the Chinese population investigated.