Research on the Correlation Between rs2110385 Polymorphisms of the Visfatin Gene and Nonproliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

Objective: To investigate the association between rs2110385 polymorphisms of the visfatin gene and the risk of type 2 diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods: 172 Han subjects were selected from Xi’an Shaanxi Province；140 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and 32 normal controls (NC) were selected from our hospital. Patients with diabetes were divided into a non-DR group (T2DM) (n = 69) and a nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy Group (DR) (n =71) after dilated fundus photography and fundus fluorescein angiography. rs2110385/Alu Ⅰ genotypes were detected by standardized polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), and the differences in the detection rates of different genotypes in the above populations were compared. Results: 1) The visfatin level in the DR Group was significantly higher than that in the NC and T2DM groups (P < 0.05). 2) The frequency of GG genotype and G allele of rs2110385 in the DR Group were higher than those in the T2DM and NC groups (80.3, 69.6, 50.0, 86.6, 79, 65.6, P < 0.05). 3) There were significant differences in allele frequency and genotype frequency distribution of rs2110385 between the DR Group and the NC group (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Visfatin increased in the nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy group and could be a potential indicator for the clinical prediction of DR. The G allele of the rs2110385 polymorphic site may be related to the risk of DR.