Analysis of the Association of Polymorphisms rs5743708 in TLR2 and rs4986790 in TLR4 with Atopic Dermatitis Risk

Background: We carried out a meta-analysis to assess whether Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) rs5743708 and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) rs4986790 polymorphisms are associated with the risk of atopic dermatitis.

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science was performed to identify eligible case–control studies on the association of rs5743708 and rs4986790 with the risk of atopic dermatitis. Statistical analyses of the odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI), and p value were performed using STATA software.

Results: Our meta-analysis included a total of nine case–control studies, all involving Caucasian populations. With respect to the TLR2 rs5743708 G/A polymorphism, there was a statistically significant difference in the overall risk of atopic dermatitis between the case and control groups [OR = 2.07, p value of association test, p_{(association)} = 0.001 in allele (A vs. G) model; OR = 1.93, p_{(association)} = 0.004 in carrier (A vs. G) model; OR = 2.07, p_{(association)} = 0.001 in heterozygote (GA vs. GG) model; OR = 1.99, p_{(association)} = 0.001 in dominant (GA+ AA vs. GG) model]. Similar positive results were observed in the subgroup analysis of “population-based control.” For the TLR4 rs4986790 A/G polymorphism, an increased atopic dermatitis risk was detected in the case group under the allele [OR = 1.78, p_{(association)} = 0.013], carrier [OR = 1.69, p_{(association)} = 0.027] and heterozygote [OR = 1.74, p_{(association)} = 0.020] models, but not the dominant [OR = 1.44, p_{(association)} = 0.070] model, in comparison to the population-based control group.

Conclusion: Our meta-analysis revealed a novel finding that the heterogeneous “GA” genotype of the TLR2 rs5743708 and “AG” genotype of the TLR4 rs4986790 may be associated with increased susceptibility to atopic dermatitis in Caucasians.