Association between interleukin-6 gene polymorphisms and bone mineral density: a meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Bone Metabolism
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene polymorphisms have been studied for their association with bone mineral density (BMD).
• Previous research findings on this relationship are conflicting.
• A meta-analysis was conducted to clarify the association between IL-6 gene polymorphisms and BMD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To precisely assess the relationship between IL-6 gene polymorphisms (-634C/G and -174G/C) and bone mineral density (BMD).
• To synthesize existing evidence through a meta-analysis.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed across major databases (PubMed, Embase, CBM, Wanfang, CNKI) up to March 2013.
• Weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated.
• Fixed-effects or random-effects models were employed for analysis.

Main Results:

• The meta-analysis included 16 studies with 11,957 subjects.
• -634C/G polymorphism (GG vs. CC+CG) was significantly associated with lower BMD at the femoral neck, lumbar spine, and whole body.
• Asian populations with the -634GG genotype showed significantly lower BMD. The -174G/C polymorphism also showed associations with BMD at specific skeletal sites.
• No significant publication bias was detected for either polymorphism.

Conclusions:

• IL-6 gene polymorphisms (-634C/G and -174G/C) have modest effects on BMD.
• Larger, well-designed studies are necessary to investigate gene-gene and gene-environment interactions influencing BMD in diverse populations.