• BACKGROUND/AIM
    • The present study aimed to investigate the role of an aggrecan (ACAN) gene variant and proteoglycan levels in the risk of lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDDD).
  • MATERIALS AND METHODS
    • A total of 108 patients with LDDD and 103 healthy controls were enrolled. Molecular assessment of the ACAN gene (c.6423T>C) variant was determined by real time-polymerase chain reaction. Proteoglycan levels in serum were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  • RESULTS
    • The frequency of all alleles and genotypes in all study groups were distributed according to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. In addition, no association between the ACAN gene (c.6423T>C) variant and presence of risk factors for LDDD was detected. However, proteoglycan levels were significantly lower in patients with LDDD compared to the control group (p<0.00001).
  • CONCLUSION
    • Our findings suggest that proteoglycan has emerged as a potential novel biomarker which might be used for prediction of LDDD risk.