Current Issues in Molecular Biology
BDNF Val66Met (rs6265) in Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Descriptive Genotype–Phenotype Study in a Romanian Cohort
By Laura Țiburcă, Alexandru Daniel Jurcă, Darius Lotrean and 6 others.
Abstract
Background
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease with musculoskeletal and extra-articular manifestations and associated cardiometabolic comorbidity. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in pain processing, neuroplasticity, inflammatory signaling, and metabolic regulation. The functional BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) affects intracellular trafficking and activity-dependent BDNF secretion, but its clinical relevance in AS remains poorly characterized. This study evaluated the distribution of BDNF Val66Met and explored its associations with disease activity, inflammation, pain, depressive symptoms, and metabolic parameters in patients with AS.