Association between interleukin-10 gene rs1800896 polymorphism and diabetic retinopathy in a Chinese Han population

The levels of cytokines, inflammatory cells, and angiogenic factors increase following diabetic retinopathy (DR), and the association between interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene rs1800896 polymorphism (IL-10 -1082G/A polymorphism) and DR in different populations has been extensively studied. However, the findings are conflicting, and there is no relevant research in Chinese subjects. Therefore, this case-control study involving 327 cases (type 2 diabetes patients with proliferative DR (PDR)) and 461 controls (type 2 diabetes patients without DR) was conducted to address the relationship between IL-10 gene rs1800896 polymorphism and risk of PDR in Chinese population. Genotyping was performed using PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. It was found that GG genotype or G allele of the IL-10 gene rs1800896 polymorphism was associated with decreased risk for PDR. In conclusion, IL-10 gene rs1800896 polymorphism decreases the risk of PDR.