Rather than Rs1800796 Polymorphism, Expression of Interleukin-6 Is Associated with Disease Progression of Chronic HBV Infection in a Chinese Han Population
Interleukin-6 plays an important role in chronic inflammation as well as tumor growth and progression. Here, a case-control study was undertaken to investigate the association of rs1800796 polymorphism of IL-6 gene and serum levels with disease progression of chronic HBV infection. Rs1800796 polymorphism was genotyped in 641 Chinese Han patients with chronic HBV infection, including 23 IT, 25 IC, 292 CHB, 153 LC, and 148 HCC patients and 265 healthy controls. Serum IL-6 levels were measured in 23 IT, 25 IC, 47 CHB, 41 LC, and 49 HCC patients and 45 healthy controls, and the classifications of HCC were accorded to BCLC staging system. We found no significant association between rs1800796 polymorphism and disease progression of chronic HBV infection; however, serum IL-6 levels showed significant statistical differences between patients with CHB, LC, and HCC. Moreover, statistical differences can be observed in patients with terminal stage HCC compared with those of early to intermediate or advanced stage HCC. Our findings suggest that rs1800796 polymorphism unlikely contribute significantly to affect the progression of chronic HBV infection, and serum IL-6 levels can act as a useful indicator for disease progression and severity of chronic HBV infection. 1. Introduction Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global public health problem. It is estimated that over 2 billion people have had contact with the HBV, and that 350–400 million people are chronically infected [1–3]. The clinical course of HBV infection varies from spontaneous recovery after acute hepatitis to a chronic persistent infection that may progress to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The outcomes of chronic HBV infection do not appear to be determined by the viral strains in themselves [4]. It has been established through twin studies that chronic HBV infection outcome has a strong genetic component [5]. Moreover, allelic variants in the human genome have been implicated in disease progression after HBV infection [6–8]. Thus, it is conceivable that genetic differences play an additional role in the influence of disease progression. Recently, compelling evidence has shown that inflammation has an important role in initiation, promotion, and progression of HBV infection [9, 10]. As a well-recognized inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a central role in the regulation of immune response. Previous studies have found that serum level of IL6 was increased in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and HCC [11–13]. Moreover, in vitro and animal models studies have shown
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