Association of cytokine gene polymorphisms with hepatitis C virus infection in a population from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Host cytokine genetic polymorphisms in a selected population of persons living with hepatitis B virus infection in the central region of Ghana

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a public health concern in resource limited settings like Ghana. Over the past decades, it is noted that the natural course of HBV in persons infected are taking a worse turn leading to liver cirrhosis and cancer. The outcome of HBV infection is influenced by viral and host factors including genetics. Cytokine variations affect virus survival and progression and may even influence associated complications. Cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukins (IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-18), interferon gamma (IFN)-γ, and tumor growth factor-beta (TGF-β) have key roles in HBV infection and modulation. In this study, polymorphisms occurring in five cytokines were analysed to understand how they can influence prognosis of HBV infection.

METHODS

The study is a single centre cross-sectional study involving 227 participants made up of HBV infected participants and HBV-negative controls. Recruitment was from March 2021 to April 2022. Blood samples were taken for full blood count, HBV antigen profile, liver function tests, HBV DNA quantification and cytokine genotyping. FIB score was calculated using available tools. Statistical analysis was undertaken with p < 0.05 set as statistically significant.

RESULTS

The 20-39-year-old group formed majority of the HBV infected participants with 60% of all participants being classified as healthy HBsAg carriers. IL2 rs1479920 GG carriers ((1258.93; 0.00-5011.87) IU/mL had reduced HBV DNA in comparison to IL2 rs1479920 AA ((5011.87; 2113.49-5956.62) /AG (3548.13; 0.00-6309.57) IU/mL carriers. TNF-α rs1800629 AA carriers (1258.93; 0.00-3981.07) IU/mL had a reduction in HBV DNA levels in comparison to TNF-α rs1800629 GG carriers (1584.89; 0.00-5011.87) IU/mL. The results of univariate (OR = 0.08, 0.00-0.93; p = 0.043) and multivariate (OR = 0.02, 0.00-0.67; p = 0.029) analysis, showed that carrying TNF-α rs1800629 AA genotype reduce susceptibility to high FIB score compared with GG genotypes. In univariate analysis, subjects aged 20-39 years (OR = 5.00, 1.13-6.10; p = 0.034) and 40-59 years (OR = 41.99, 3.74-47.21; p = 0.0002) were more susceptible to high FIB score compared to subjects aged 1-19 years. Being female (OR = 2.42, 1.03-5.71; p = 0.043) in the univariate models showed higher odds of having high levels of HBV DNA in the multivariate model. There was a reduced likelihood of herbal medicine usage influencing HBV DNA levels significantly (OR = 0.29, 0.10-0.86; p = 0.025).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, variations in IL2 rs1479920 GG and IL2 rs1479921 AA could offer protective effects by reducing HBV DNA. TNF-α rs179924CT may also cause elevation in HBV DNA levels whiles TNF-α -308A/G, showed a potential protective effect on liver scarring in HBV infected participants. It is therefore important to take a further look at such variations for understanding of HBV modulation in the Ghanaian population.

Correlation between IL-28 polymorphism and spontaneous clearance in HCV patients: systematic review and meta-analysis

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a serious global health issue. Nearly 20% of HCV patients spontaneously clear the virus. While some studies have shown an association of spontaneous clearance (SC) of the virus with interleukin (IL) 28B single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), others did not show such a relationship. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the association of IL28B polymorphisms (12979860 SNP) with SC of HCV infection. Upon initial screening of the databases, a total of 545 articles were retrieved, of which 22 studies that met predefined eligibility criteria were entered into the meta-analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) with confidence intervals (95% CI), heterogeneity, publication bias, and sensitivity analysis were assessed. According to the meta-analysis results, a significant association was observed between the rs12979860 SNP and SC of HCV infection. The results indicated that the ORs of SC from hepatitis C virus infection were 2.75 times higher in those with cytokine gene polymorphisms (95% CI, 2.23 to 3.38). Moreover, it was found that the prevalence of rs12979860 CC was 0.33 with 95 CI 0.28-0.38 in genotype 1 and was 0.40 with 95 CI 0.34-0.47 in other genotypes. Our meta-analysis results suggest that IL28B rs12979860 CC is a strong predictor for SC of hepatitis C infection in PEG IFN-a/RBV-treated patients.

Cytokine (IL-10, IL-6, TNF-α and TGF-β1) Gene Polymorphisms in Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection among Malay Male Drug Abusers

Cytokines play an important role in modulating inflammation during viral infection, including hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Genetic polymorphisms of cytokines can alter the immune response against this infection. The objective of this study was to investigate the possible association between chronic hepatitis C virus infection susceptibility and cytokine gene polymorphism for interleukin-10 (IL-10) rs1800896 and rs1800871, interleukin 6 (IL-6) rs1800795, TNF-α rs1800629, and TGF-β1 rs1800471 in Malay male drug abusers. The study was conducted on 76 HCV-positive (HP) male drug abusers and 40 controls (HCV-negative male drug abusers). We found that there were significant differences in the frequencies of genotype for IL-10 rs1800871 (p = 0.0386) and at the allelic level for IL-10 rs1800896 A versus G allele (p = 0.0142) between the HP group and the control group. However, there were no significant differences in gene polymorphism in interleukin 6 rs1800795, TNF-α rs1800629 and TGF-β1 rs1800471. These findings suggest significant associations between gene polymorphism for IL-10 rs1800871, IL-10 rs1800896 (at the allelic level) and susceptibility to HCV infection among Malay male drug abusers.