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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEPSINOGEN GENE C POLYMORPHISM AND HELICOBACTER PYLORI INFECTION IN THE JORDANIAN POPULATION

SALSABEEL H. SABI 1*, MOHAMMED N. BANIHANI 2, SUHAIB MUFLIH 3, OMAR F. KHABOUR 4, AYA K. AL-HALAYQEH ⁵

¹ Basic Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, 13110, Jordan
2 Department of General Surgery and Urology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
3 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
4 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
5 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hashemite University, Zarqa 13110, Jordan

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Helicobacter pylori infection is a major risk factor for gastric diseases, including chronic gastritis and gastric cancer. This case- control study investigated the association between pepsinogen C gene (PGC) polymorphisms and H. pylori infection suscepti- bility in 382 Jordanian subjects (239 infected, 143 controls). PGC polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR, detecting six alleles: A1 (510 bp), A2 (480 bp), A3/4 (450/460 bp), A5 (400 bp), and A6 (310 bp). Allele A6 was significantly more frequent in infected subjects (46.5%) compared to controls (28.6%) (OR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.31 - 2.53, p = 0.0004). Under a dominant model, A6 carriers had a significantly higher infection risk (OR = 3.21, 95% CI: 2.01 - 5.12, p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis confirmed that A1/A6 (OR = 2.12, p = 0.015) and A6 (OR = 4.66, p < 0.001) genotypes were associated with increased infection odds. Age ≤ 60 years showed a trend toward increased risk that did not reach statistical significance (OR = 1.94, p = 0.052). These findings suggest that PGC polymorphisms, particularly allele A6, may influence H. pylori susceptibility in Jordanians, with potential implications for gastric cancer risk stratification.