Association of cytokine gene polymorphisms and serum concentrations with the outcome of chronic hepatitis B

Abstract Objective The present paper investigated possible correlations between the clinical presentation of hepatitis B and the TNF-α −308G/A, IFN-γ +874A/T, TGF-beta1 −509C/T, and IL-10 −1081A/G polymorphisms and associated serum levels of these cytokines. Methods Fifty-three hepatitis patients were selected and divided into two groups: A – inactive ( n  = 30) and B – chronic hepatitis/cirrhosis ( n  = 23). The control group consisted of 100 subjects who were positive for anti-HBc and anti-HBs. The serum concentrations of the cytokines were determined by immunoenzymatic assays. The polymorphisms of the cytokines genes were assessed by PCR and PCR-SSP. Results The mean serum levels of IFN-γ of the control group were significantly higher than those of groups A and B , whereas the mean levels TGF-beta1 were significantly higher in groups A and B in comparison with the control. In the case of IL-10, the mean serum level recorded in the control group was significantly higher than that of group B . The TNF-α −308AG genotype was considerably more frequent in group B (43.3%) than the control (14.4%). Conclusion Higher serum levels of IFN-γ and TGF-beta1 were associated with chronic hepatitis B, and lower serum levels of IL-10 were found in patients with the active disease. Furthermore the presence of allele A of the TNF-α −308 polymorphism suggest a risk of the progressive disease.