en Genetics & Disease Genetics & Disease Original Article Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;">Pterygium is one of the most common eye conditions without any clear etiology. Some studies have suggested an association between sun exposure and pterygium, but others have proposed the role of genetic variations in its pathogenesis. To date, no study has investigated the association of inflammatory transcription factor, <em>NF&kappa;B</em> genes with pterygium in the Middle East. We examined the changes in expression of 3 inflammatory related <em>NF&kappa;B1, NF&kappa;B2</em>, and <em>RELA</em> genes in patients with pterygium. Thirty patients with pterygium and 30 age and sex-matched controls were enrolled in this case-control study. None of the participants showed any clinical signs of inflammation in their conjunctiva. Demographic information was obtained and the expression levels of three genes including <em>NF&kappa;B1</em>, <em>NF&kappa;B2</em>, and <em>RELA</em> were measured in their conjunctiva by real-time RT-PCR using gene-specific primers. Mean expression level of <em>NF&kappa;B1</em>, <em>NF&kappa;B2</em> and <em>RELA</em> genes in patients were 2.4&plusmn;0.3, 1.9&plusmn; 0.5, and 1.8&plusmn;0.4 times higher than normal subjects, respectively. Higher levels of gene expression were observed in individuals with more outdoor activity and sun exposure. Moreover, a significant correlation was observed between the expression levels of <em>NF&kappa;B2</em> and <em>RELA</em> genes, suggesting a possible NF&kappa;B2- RELA heterodimer formation in patients with pterygium. This study has indicated a significant association between expressions of inflammatory-related <em>NF&kappa;B1</em>, <em>NF&kappa;B2</em> and <em>RELA</em> genes, and pterygium. Further studies to verify the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of pterygium, may provide new targets for managing pterygia.</div> Pterygium, inflammation, gene expression, NF-kappa B, real-time RT-PCR 169 175 http://ijmcmed.org/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1389-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Seyed Mohammad Salar Zaheryani smszaheryany@gmail.com 100319475328460016165 100319475328460016165 No Poostchi Ophthalmology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Mohammad Essmail Ebrahimi esmaeil.m.ebr@gmail.com 100319475328460016166 100319475328460016166 No Poostchi Ophthalmology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Abdollah Kasaei kasaei_ali@yahoo.com 100319475328460016167 100319475328460016167 No Stem Cells Technology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Amir roointan a.roointan@outlook.com 100319475328460016168 100319475328460016168 No Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Mahmood Nejabat nejabatm@sums.ac.ir 100319475328460016169 100319475328460016169 Yes Poostchi Ophthalmology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Mehdi Dianatpour mdianatpur@gmail.com 100319475328460016170 100319475328460016170 No Stem Cells Technology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Meisam Ghanbari meisam.ghanbari@gmail.com 100319475328460016171 100319475328460016171 No Poostchi Ophthalmology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Mohammad Reza Talebnejad talebnejadmr@yahoo.com 100319475328460016172 100319475328460016172 No Poostchi Ophthalmology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Fakhraddin Naghibalhossaini fakhraddin.naghibalhossaini@mail.mcgill.ca 100319475328460016173 100319475328460016173 No Biochemistry Department, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.