Association Study of SPARCL1 Gene Polymorphisms in Ischemic Stroke

Background/Objectives: Stroke is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by vessel occlusion or rupture, resulting in brain damage and subsequent physical impairment. Recent studies have implicated hevin–calcyon protein binding in the repair of brain injury. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine–like 1 (SPARCL1) encodes hevin. This study investigated SPARCL1 gene polymorphisms in ischemic stroke to identify potential biomarkers for brain injury treatment. Methods: we examined the associations of SPARCL1 polymorphisms (rs1049544, rs1130643, rs7695558, rs1049539) with ischemic stroke. This case–control study involved 387 controls and 509 patients with ischemic stroke. Genotyping was performed via real-time polymerase chain reaction with the TaqMan™ SNP Genotyping Kit. Results: The rs1049544 polymorphism was significantly associated with ischemic stroke prevalence (GG vs. CC: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.642, p = 0.043; GG + GC vs. CC: AOR = 0.671, p = 0.045). Additionally, rs1049544 was significantly associated with large-artery disease prevalence (GG vs. CC: AOR = 0.489, p = 0.028; GG + GC vs. CC: AOR = 0.527, p = 0.033), and rs1130643 (TT vs. TC: AOR = 0.362, p = 0.039) was associated with cardioembolism prevalence in ischemic stroke subtype analysis. In haplotype analysis, G-G (rs1049544/rs7695558; odds ratio = 4.942, p = 0.001) and C-T (rs1049544/rs1049539; odds ratio = 0.776, p = 0.043) haplotypes were associated with ischemic stroke prevalence. Although some genotypes were not individually associated with ischemic stroke, the presence of the rs1049544 C allele appeared to enhance risk. Conclusions: These findings suggest that SPARCL1 polymorphisms are associated with ischemic stroke and may be considered potential biomarkers for risk assessment.