Polymorphism of cytokine genes (TGF-beta1, IFN-gamma, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-alpha) in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

The polymorphisms in cytokine genes have allowed for the understanding of the genetic determinants of diseases. The aims of this study were to describe and compare the frequencies of polymorphisms on the interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, and interferon (IFN)-gamma genes between patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) and healthy individuals from Bahia, Brazil. Twenty-eight individuals were evaluated at a university gastroenterology outpatient service (4 women and 24 men), all diagnosed with CP based on clinical and radiologic aspects. The control group was composed of 94 (11 women and 83 men) blood donors. The polymorphisms studied were TNF-alpha (-308G/A), TGF-beta1 (codon 10C/T, codon 25C/G), IL-10 (-1082A/G; -819T/C; -592A/C), IL-6 (-174G/C), and IFN-gamma (+874T/A). A statistically significant difference was observed in the frequency of the polymorphisms between the group of patients with CP and the group of healthy individuals with the polymorphism of the TGF-beta1 gene on codon 10. No statistically significant differences were found for the allele and genotypic frequencies on the genes that code TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-10, and TGF-beta1 codon 25, and IL-6 between the control and case groups. The genotypes corresponding to the high TGF-beta1 producer phenotypes can be associated with the fibrogenesis shown with CP.