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Polymorphisms in the interleukin‐8 gene in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Author(s) -
Arinir Umut,
Klein Wolfram,
Rohde Gernot,
Stemmler Susanne,
Epplen Joerg T.,
SchultzeWerninghaus Gerhard
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
electrophoresis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1522-2683
pISSN - 0173-0835
DOI - 10.1002/elps.200500095
Subject(s) - copd , bronchoalveolar lavage , immunology , genotype , sputum , medicine , pulmonary disease , allele , inflammation , interleukin 8 , gene , biology , lung , pathology , genetics , tuberculosis
Airway inflammation is the main pathophysiological feature of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) is a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils and eosinophils. Increased IL‐8 levels were observed in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and induced sputum in patients with COPD. To evaluate the role of the IL‐8 gene, we genotyped blood samples of 122 COPD‐patients and 385 healthy controls for a known polymorphism in the promoter region (—251 A/T) of the IL‐8 gene. Additionally, we screened the coding region for further polymorphisms by SSCP analyses. Comparison of the allele and genotype frequencies among each group revealed no significant differences between patients and controls. Although IL‐8 plays an important role in the chemotaxis of inflammatory cells, the polymorphisms investigated here do not seem to be involved in the genetic predisposition to COPD.