Association between tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) polymorphism (-308, G/A) and acute rejection of solid organ allograft: a meta-analysis

The association between gene polymorphisms of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and risk of acute rejection (AR) of solid organ allograft was investigated in many published studies; however, the currently available results are inconclusive. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to provide a precise evidence for an association between the TNF-α polymorphism and risk of AR. A comprehensive electronic search of PUBMED, EMBASE, scholar of google, and Korean databases was performed until June 1, 2015. Meta-analysis was performed using the comprehensive meta-analysis software (Corporation, NJ, USA). The pooled p value, OR and 95% CI were used to measure the strength of the association with TNF-α. Forty five eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis. Our study revealed that combined genotype (A/A genotype +A/G genotype) was contributed to susceptibility of AR in solid organ recipients (OR = 1.424, 95% CI = 1.118-1.813, P = 0.004). Moreover, the Egger’s test showed quantitative evidence for absence of publication bias (P = 0.149). This meta-analysis indicated the TNF-α polymorphism (-308, G/A) might be genetic risk factors for acute rejection. However, more studies with larger sample size were needed to provide more precise evidence.