Tissue factor (TF) and
tissue factor pathway inhibitor (
TFPI) play important roles in coagulation. The aim of this study was to investigate the distributions of TF and
TFPI polymorphisms in Koreans and to analyze the association of these genetic polymorphisms with plasma levels and development of
venous thromboembolism (VTE). The polymorphisms TF 5466 A > G, TF -603 A > G,
TFPI -287 T > C and
TFPI -33 T > C were investigated in 40 Korean VTE patients and 40 age-matched and sex-matched controls by real-time PCR followed by melting curve analysis and DNA sequence analysis. Plasma levels of TF and
TFPI were measured by
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay. The G allele of TF 5466 was not detected, and allelic frequencies of TF -603 G,
TFPI -287 C and
TFPI -33 C were 27.5, 67.5 and 16.2%, respectively. The distributions of TF and
TFPI polymorphisms were not different between patients and controls. The presence of TF -603 G allele was correlated with low plasma TF levels (P = 0.029). Mean plasma
TFPI levels were similar between
TFPI genotypic groups. Although not statistically significant, plasma TF and
TFPI levels were higher in patients than controls. The distributions of TF and
TFPI polymorphisms in Koreans were considerably different from whites, suggesting ethnic variations. The TF -603 A > G polymorphism was significantly correlated with decreased plasma TF levels. Neither genetic polymorphisms in TF and
TFPI nor their plasma levels seem to act as direct risk factors for VTE.