Analyses of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and single nucleotide polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor gene for acne vulgaris: a case-control study

Background Acne vulgaris (AV) is one of the diseases that are widespread in Egypt. It is a disease that mainly affects the pilosebaceous units of the face, neck, and others. Aim To analyze and assess the role of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in serum as well as different vitamin D receptor (VDR) genes (Taq-1, Apa-1, Fok-1, and Cdx-2 polymorphisms) among Egyptian patients having AV. Patients and methods A total of 300 patients with acne and another 300 healthy controls were included in the study. Patients were subdivided into four different groups: group 1 received cholecalciferol 8000 IU/day for 3 months; group 2 applied 1-2g of topical vitamin D analog for 3 months, group 3 had no treatment, and lastly, group 4 included healthy controls. For all patients, skin manifestations were assessed. Serum 25(OH)3 D was measured in all participants before and after treatment. Different VDR gene polymorphisms were measured. Results Patients with acne showed a statistically significant decrease in serum 25(OH) D-3 concentration than controls, with P value of 0.001. Regarding VDR polymorphisms (rs731236 for Taq-1, rs7975232 for Apa-1, rs2228570 for Fok-1, and rs11568820 Cdx-2 polymorphisms), the results revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between patients with acne and controls regarding Taq-1 and Apa-1 genotypes, with P values of 0.001 and 0.026, respectively, whereas regarding Fok-1 and Cdx-2 genotypes, the results revealed that there were no statistically significant differences between the studied patients and the controls (P=0.690 and 0.113, respectively). Conclusion Vitamin D and VDR polymorphisms (Taq-1, Apa-1, Fok-1, and Cdx-2) play important roles in AV.