Association of TNF-alpha G-308A gene polymorphism with depression: a meta-analysis

Kwang-Hee Shin,1 Hyeon Cheol Jeong,1 Dong-Hee Choi,2 Sung Nyun Kim,3 Tae-Eun Kim4 1College of Pharmacy, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 2Department of Medical Science, Konkuk University School of Medicine, 3Department of Psychiatry, Seoul Medical Center, 4Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Konkuk University Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea Background: Although many studies have investigated the association of a single nucleotide polymorphism in TNF-α G-308A gene with depression, their association is still controversial. To clarify this, we performed a meta-analysis.Method: Studies related to TNF-α G-308A and depression were retrieved from PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Scopus (up to April 18, 2017). The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated in the models of allele comparison (G vs A), homozygote comparison (GG vs AA), dominant (GG vs GA + AA), and recessive (GG + GA vs AA) to estimate the strength of the associations.Results: A total of 10 case–control studies were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, no significant association between TNF-α G-308A and depression was found (G vs A: OR [95% CI] =1.09 [0.92, 1.29]; GG vs AA: 1.24 [0.71, 2.15]; GG vs GA + AA: 1.01 [0.76, 1.35]; GG + GA vs AA: 1.22 [0.70, 2.13]). In subgroup analyses by ethnicity or age group, no statistically significant association between TNF-α G-308A polymorphisms and depression was shown.Conclusion: This meta-analysis revealed that TNF-α G-308A polymorphism is not associated with susceptibility to depression. Keywords: TNF-α G-308A, rs1800629, genetic polymorphism, depressive disorde