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Growing evidence confirms the role of inflammatory responses in the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic events such as coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD develops by plaque formation and deposition in the arteries walls, causing disruption of blood flow, and is called atherosclerosis [1]. Atherosclerosis can be stimulated by multiple molecular pathways and genetic variants, which play a crucial role in the determination of susceptibility to CAD [2]. Several factors increase the risk of CAD such as age, gender, heredity, smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, and obesity. These factors make people prone to the coronary heart disease [3]. The cytokines are potent inflammatory factors that regulate each stage of atherosclerosis and leading to the development of diseases such as CAD [4]. Interleukin-10 (IL-10), as one of the most important anti-inflammatory cytokines, serves as an anti-inflammatory agent by down-regulation of the Th1 and suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL1, IL6, IFN-γ and TNF-α [5]. It also develops atherosclerosis by inhibiting the synthesis of metalloproteinase. Moreover, IL-10 promotes the stability of plaque by preserving the extracellular matrix and fibrous cap [2]. The IL-10 gene has variable sites (polymorphisms and microsatellites) which influence the level of IL-10 expression. Therefore, it may be associated directly and indirectly with the development of the CAD. In the previous study, we evaluated the association of platelet-derived growth factor b polymorphisms with CAD [6]. In this study, we investigated the association of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in IL-10 gene promoter and its mRNA expression level with CAD.
2 Subjects and methods2.1 Study subjects
This case-control study with randomized sampling was performed to evaluate the genetic association of the two IL-10 polymorphisms [−1082G/A (rs1800870) and −819C/T (rs1800871)] with CAD. We enrolled 303 CAD patients with evidence of atherosclerosis, with known number of the vessel involved, who scheduled to undergo diagnostic coronary angiography, from March 2013 to March 2014, in Kouwsar heart center of Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Kordkuy, Iran. Inclusion criteria for patients group were the presence of a stenosis less than 50% in at least one major coronary artery. The controls group involved 343 individuals with normal coronary artery angiograms. Inclusion criteria for the control group also were...