Association between TNF-alpha level and TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms in liver cirrhosis of Iraqi patients

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a essential pro inflammatory cytokine which involved in pathogenesis of liver cirrhosis. Current study was designed to examine the association between TNF-alpha level and TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms in liver cirrhosis of Iraqi patents. Subjects and methods: Sixty nine liver cirrhosis Iraqi patents (Mean age 54 23 years),including 43 (32 men and 11 woman) with chronic viral hepatitis and 26 men of liver cirrhosis Iraqi patents with alcohol drinking history in comparison with 50 (25 men and 25 women) of apparently healthy non-alcohol drinking as a control group (Mean age 56 21 years), blood samples were obtained from the subjects. Level of TNF-alpha was assessed by using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA) whereas 308 TNF-alpha gene polymorphism was detected by PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results: Levels of TNF-alpha were significantly increased (P<0.01) among all liver cirrhosis patent groups when compared with control group, and the group of chronic viral hepatitis had the highest TNF-alpha value (38.40 +/- 3.45 pg/ml) while the value of liver cirrhosis group was (35.41 +/- 2.15 pg/ml) and the alcohol drinking history group was (31.72 +/- 3.49) as compared with control group (14.33 +/- 1.62) with significant difference (P <= 0.01). The results of the relationship between 308 TNF-alpha polymorphisms and liver cirrhosis showed that the G/G genotype was 14(20.3%), GA genotype was (26.1%), AA genotype was 37 (53.6%), G alleles were 23(33.3%), A alleles were 46(66.6%) with significant difference (P <= 0.005) and in chronic viral hepatitis patents the G/G genotype was 6 (13.9%), GA genotype was 8(18.6%), AA genotype was 28 (65.1%), G alleles were 10(23.2%), A alleles were 31(72.1%), with significant difference (P <= 0.01), while in liver cirrhosis with alcohol drinking history the G/G genotype was 8(30.7%), GA genotype was10(38.5%), AA genotype was 9 (34.6%), G alleles were 13 (50%), A alleles were 15(57.7%), while in control G/G genotype was 33 (66%), GA genotype was14(28%), AA genotype was 3 (6%), G alleles were 45(90%),A alleles were 16 (32%) with significant difference (P <= 0.01), the result revealed there was no significant differences between these genotype in both the liver cirrhosis patients and control.