Association of thromboxane A2 receptor gene polymorphisms with cerebral infarction in a Chinese population

Platelet aggregation is crucial for the development of cerebral infarction (CI) and it is markedly increased due to the binding of thromboxane A2 (TXA2) to its receptor (TXA2R). Therefore, TXA2R plays a central role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and thrombosis. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between human TXA2R gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and non-cardiogenic CI in a Chinese cohort. Two SNPs, rs768963 and rs4523, located in the regulatory and coding regions of TXA2R gene, respectively, were examined in DNA samples from 407 Chinese patients with CI and 270 controls. 407 CI was categorized into subtypes using Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) classification. There was no significant association between rs4523 variants and CI. However, there was a significant difference in the overall distribution of genotypes and dominant/recessive models of rs768963 between CI and control groups. In addition, multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the C allele of rs768963 was significantly associated with total CI (P = 0.023), large artery atherosclerosis subtype (P = 0.009), small artery occlusion subtype (P = 0.044) after adjusting for confounding factors (odds ratio = 1.533, 1.918 and 1.573, respectively). We conclude that TXA2R rs768963 polymorphism is associated with CI in a Chinese population.