A Study on Genetic Association of Interleukin-16 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (rs1131445) With Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Iranian Patients

Background: Interleukin-16 (IL-16) is an immunomodulatory cytokine, which plays an important role in some inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as hepatitis B, which is a major health concern worldwide. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate the plausible association between IL-16 polymorphism and chronic HBV susceptibility in an Iranian population. Patients and Methods: In a case-control study, we analyzed rs1131445 polymorphism in the microRNA binding site of the IL-16 gene in 262 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 269 healthy controls, using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method and DNA sequencing technology to confirm our results. Results: Altogether, in this investigation, a significant association was observed between the IL-16 TC genotype compared with the TT genotype (OR = 0.696, 95% CI: 0.485 - 0.997, P = 0.048), after adjustments for confounders including age and gender. Conclusions: These findings show that immunogenetic factors, such as single nucleotide polymorphism in IL-16, could be a risk factor for susceptibility to chronic HBV infection. However, further investigations are needed to verify these results.