The role of single nucleotide polymorphisms of -889C>T (rs1800587), -238G>A (rs361525), and (rs731236) on susceptibility to herniated nucleus pulposus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

: The pathogenesis of herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) is complex and may involve the wide variety of gene polymorphism. However, the reports from the existing studies are inconclusive. The objective of this study was to determine the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in interleukin 1 alpha ( ), tumor necrosis factor-alpha ( ), and vitamin D receptor ( ) genes on the susceptibility to herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP). : Four databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science) were searched as of April 1 , 2021. Authors, publication year, targeted genes, genotype and allele frequency in each case and control groups were collected. Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to evaluate the publication quality. The pooled estimates of association of -889C>T (rs1800587), -238G>A (rs361525), and (rs731236) and susceptibility to HNP were assessed using Z test. : We screened 3,067 unique studies for eligibility and three, two and nine case-control studies on -889C>T, -238G>A, and were included, respectively, in our meta-analysis. The studies consisting 369 HNP cases and 433 controls for -889C>T, 252 cases and 259 controls for -238G>A and 1130 cases and 2096 controls for Our pooled estimates indicated that there was no significant association of those SNPs with the susceptibility to HNP in any genotype, dominant model, recessive model, or allele comparations. : Although individual studies suggested the important role of gene expression dysregulation associated with SNPs in , , and , our data indicated that -889C>T, -238G>A, and had weak association with HNP susceptibility in both genotypes and allele distributions. However, since heterogeneity was identified among studies included in this meta-analysis, further meta-analysis with a larger population and subgroup analysis on specific population are warranted to support this finding.