Analysis of aggrecan (ACAN) gene polymorphysm of patients with cervical and lumbar disc hernia

Disc diseases such as disc degeneration and herniation are common problems in adulthood. Although the exact etiology of lumbar and cervical disc disease is unknown, it has been suggested that genetic factor or familial predisposition contributes to the development of lumbar and cervical disc disease. In the etiology of the disease, environmental factors such as age, smoking, professional factors, vibration trauma and obesity are also blamed. Aggrecan, the main proteoglycan of the hyaline cartilage and the VNTR polymorphisms in the Aggrecan gene can affect the structure and amount of the extracellular matrix of the intervertebral disc, thus contributing to the formation of disc degeneration. In order to determine the effect of Aggrecan (ACAN) gene polymorphism on disc herniation, 150 patients and 110 control groups were included in the study. There was a significant difference between ACAN gene polymorphism and disc herniation patients (p <0.05). The ACAN gene in the region of VNTR polymorphism identified 11 different alleles (A21-A31). The most common alleles in both patients and the control group were A27, A26, A29. Our results showed that VNTR polymorphism in the CS1 coding region of ACAN gene was associated with disc herniation.