Association between polymorphisms in interleukin-18 promoter and risk of coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis

Association of carotid atheroma plaque with IL-18 levels and with polymorphisms in the IL-18 receptor gene in a Mediterranean population

BACKGROUND

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease. Interleukin 18 (IL-18) is an inflammatory molecule that has been linked to the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the possible relationship between plasma levels of IL-18 and the presence of atherosclerosis evaluated at the carotid level, as well as to analyze the possible modulation by different polymorphisms in a Mediterranean population.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Seven hundred and forty-six individuals from the metropolitan area of Valencia were included, recruited over a period of 2 years. Hydrocarbon and lipid metabolism parameters were determined using standard methodology and IL-18 using ELISA. In addition, carotid ultrasound was performed and the genotype of four SNPs related to the IL-18 signaling pathway was analyzed.

RESULTS

Patients with higher plasma levels of IL-18 had other associated cardiovascular risk factors. Elevated IL-18 levels were significantly associated with higher carotid IMT and the presence of atheromatous plaques. The genotype with the A allele of the SNP rs2287037 was associated with a higher prevalence of carotid atheromatous plaque. On the contrary, the genotype with the C allele of the SNP rs2293224 was associated with a lower prevalence of atheromatous plaque.

CONCLUSIONS

High levels of IL-18 were significantly associated with a higher carotid IMT and the presence of atheromatous plaques, which appear to be influenced by genetic factors, as evidenced by associations between SNPs in the IL-18 receptor gene and the presence of atheroma plaque.

Glycyrrhizic acid alleviated MI/R-induced injuries by inhibiting Hippo/YAP signaling pathways

BACKGROUND

Previous research has demonstrated that glycyrrhizic acid (GA) exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic characteristics. Using myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury as a case study, this study aims to clarify the functional significance of GA and to elucidate the mechanisms involved.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, an MI/R injury model was established both in vivo and in vitro to investigate the impact of GA on MI/R injury. The viability of H9c2 cells was evaluated using the Cell Counting Kit-8. Myocardial damage was assessed through the measurement of creatine kinase myocardial band (CK-MB) levels and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), HE staining, and MASSON staining. Inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-1β, IL-10, and TNF-α) were measured to determine the presence of inflammation. Cellular oxidative stress was evaluated by measuring ROS and MMP levels, while cardiac function was assessed using cardiac color Doppler ultrasound. Immunofluorescence staining to determine the nuclear translocation of YAP, TUNEL to determine apoptosis, and western blotting to determine gene expression.

RESULTS

GA treatment effectively alleviated myocardial injury induced by MI/R, as evidenced by reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α) and cardiac biomarkers (CK-MB, LDH) in MI/R rats. Moreover, There was a significant increase in cell viability in vitro after GA treatment and inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) during oxidative stress, while also increasing mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in vitro. The Western blot findings indicate that GA treatment effectively suppressed apoptosis in both in vivo and in vitro settings. Additionally, GA demonstrated inhibitory effects on the activation of the Hippo/YAP signaling pathway triggered by MI/R and facilitated YAP nuclear translocation both in vitro and in vivo. It has been found, however, in vitro, that silencing the YAP gene negates GA's protective effect against hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced myocardial injury.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that GA regulates YAP nuclear translocation by inhibiting the Hippo/YAP signaling pathway, which protects ists against MI/R injury. This finding may present a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of MI/R.

Interleukin-18 Gene Polymorphisms and Rheumatoid Arthritis Susceptibility: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses

This study systematically analyzes the association between interleukin-18 (IL-18) gene polymorphisms and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility. The electronic databases Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Excerpta Medica Database, and Cochrane Library were searched to identify meta-analyses that included case-control studies reporting IL-18 gene polymorphisms and RA susceptibility. Data were reanalyzed using Review Manager Software 5.1, and Mantel-Haenszel random effects were applied for the five genetic models: allelic, recessive, dominant, homozygote, and heterozygote. The effect size of odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. A total of seven meta-analyses with poor quality were included. The IL-18 polymorphisms -607 A/C, -137 C/G, -920 T/C, and -105 C/A have been reported. With weak evidence, IL-18 -607 A/C polymorphisms were associated with a reduced risk of RA susceptibility using the allele model (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.61 - 0.93, p=0.01), dominant model (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.50 - 0.90, p=0.008), homozygote model (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.35 - 0.91, p=0.02), and heterozygote model (OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.54 - 0.93, p=0.01) in the overall population. IL-18 gene polymorphisms and RA susceptibility are affected by ethnicity: With weak evidence, IL-18 -137 C/G polymorphisms were related to reduce RA susceptibility in the Asian population (allele model: OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.40 - 0.88, p=0.01; dominant model: OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.37 - 0.89, p=0.01; heterozygote model: OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.38 - 0.94, p=0.03). IL-18 -607 A/C gene polymorphisms are a protective factor for RA susceptibility in the overall population, and IL-18 -137 C/G gene polymorphisms are a protective factor for RA susceptibility in the Asian population. Further studies are needed to confirm these results owing to the limitations of the included studies.

Serum il-18 and rs187238 single nucleotide polymorphism are associated with high-density lipoprotein changes in covid-19 outpatients

AIM

COVID-19 is an inflammatory disease and its prognosis is associated with cardiovascular risk, which can be associated with changes in lipoprotein metabolism. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs187238 of Interleukin (IL)-18 is extensively reported in association with worsening inflammatory and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study evaluated the association of IL-18 levels and its SNP rs187238 with lipoprotein profile changes in COVID-19 outpatients.

METHODS

Observational, analytical, cross-sectional study that evaluated 250 patients with respiratory syndrome, 36% (n = 90) with COVID-19. Serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), triglycerides (TG), apolipoproteins A-I and B (Apo A-I and Apo B) and IL-18 levels were determined. Polymorphism genotyping was done by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The significance level was p < 0.05.

RESULTS

Patients with COVID-19 showed a reduction in TC and HDL-c, without difference in IL-18. HDL-c and LDL-c had a high frequency outside the reference values. There was a negative correlation of IL-18 with HDL-c and a positive correlation with Apo B/Apo A-I ratio. The frequencies of the C (wild) and G (polymorphic) alleles between patients with and without COVID-19 followed the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. However, COVID-19 was associated with reduced HDL-c and Apo A-I values in patients with the CC genotype.

CONCLUSION

IL-18 levels and its SNP rs187238 were associated with decreased HDL-c and Apo A-I in COVID-19 outpatients.

Identification of Risk Genes Associated with Myocardial Infarction-Big Data Analysis and Literature Review

Acute myocardial infarction occurs when blood supply to a particular coronary artery is cut off, causing ischemia or hypoxia and subsequent heart muscle destruction in the vascularized area. With a mortality rate of 17% per year, myocardial infarction (MI) is still one of the top causes of death globally. Numerous studies have been done to identify the genetic risk factors for myocardial infarction, as a positive family history of heart disease is one of the most potent cardiovascular risk factors. The goal of this review is to compile all the information currently accessible in the literature on the genes associated with AMI. We performed a big data analysis of genes associated with acute myocardial infarction, using the following keywords: "myocardial infarction", "genes", "involvement", "association", and "risk". The analysis was done using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Data from the title, abstract, and keywords were exported as text files and imported into an Excel spreadsheet. Its analysis was carried out using the VOSviewer v. 1.6.18 software. Our analysis found 28 genes which are mostly likely associated with an increased risk for AMI, including: PAI-1, CX37, IL18, and others. Also, a correlation was made between the results obtained in the big data analysis and the results of the review. The most important genes increasing the risk for AMI are lymphotoxin-a gene (LTA), LGALS2, LDLR, and APOA5. A deeper understanding of the underlying functional genomic circuits may present new opportunities for research in the future.

Genotyping of interleukins-18 promoters and their correlation with coronary artery stenosis in Saudi population

BACKGROUND

Complex coronary atherosclerotic lesions often lead to coronary occlusion, clinically represented as a single-vessel disease (SVD) and multivessel disease (MVD). These occlusions could hinder the blood flow in coronary arteries that affects appropriate management of the CVD. The current study intended to genotype interleukin (IL)-18 promoter's hotspots (rs187238, rs1946518, and rs1946519) and their possible association with coronary artery stenosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The IL-18 promoter genotyping was performed by the Sanger method along with the examination of biochemical parameters in 125 study subjects categorized into three groups, viz. controls, SVD and MVD.

RESULTS

The current study observed a significant association of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia between the studied group's viz. healthy controls, SVD, and MVD. Fasting blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin (HBA1C) were also significantly enhanced from 4.82 vs. 8.01 and 4.33 vs. 8.27, in SVD, and MVD respectively. Despite the visible differences in the pattern of genotypic and allelic expressions, the current study did not show any statistically significant correlation with IL-18 promoter polymorphism at its hotspots with controls, SVD, and MVD subjects. The only exception of the above results was the distribution of allelic frequency at the rs1946519 hotspot, where a significant change (P < 0.05) was observed.

CONCLUSION

This study is of additional value to our previous reports, revealing the pattern of genotypes and allelic frequency of IL-18 promoters in a small cohort of Saudi ethnicity. Further investigations on larger sample size are recommended to envisage the presence of functional mutations in the IL-18 gene that could establish or rule out the possible association of IL-18 polymorphism with SVD and MVD.

The Role of Interleukin-18 in the Development and Progression of Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis (AS), as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the cardiovascular system, is one of the leading causes of ischemic heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. There is growing evidence on the role of innate and adaptive immunity in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Interleukin-18 is one of the novel proinflammatory cytokines involved in atherogenesis, atherosclerotic plaque instability and plaque rupture. In this review, we overview the findings of preclinical and clinical studies about the role and mechanism of action of IL-18 in the pathogenesis of AS, which could offer novel prognostic and therapeutic approaches.

Associations between interleukin 18 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to vasculitis: A meta-analysis

Interleukin 18 (IL18), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, affects the development and progress of vasculitis. The production, expression, and function of this cytokine are affected by polymorphisms of promoter region of the IL18 gene. In this study, a meta-analysis of the associations between several IL18 polymorphisms and susceptibility to vasculitis was performed. Published literature from PubMed and Embase were retrieved. In total, nine studies comprising 1006 patients with vasculitis and 1499 controls combined, and the investigating the rs187238, rs194618, and rs360719 polymorphisms of the promoter region of the IL18 gene, were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated with fixed-effects model or random-effects model. The recessive model of the rs194618 polymorphism was found to be significantly associated with a high susceptibility to vasculitis (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.02–2.33, P = 0.04), especially in the Mongoloid race, where the A allele of rs194618 was associated with a low risk of the disease (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.62–0.95, P = 0.01). By contrast, the rs187238 and rs360719 polymorphisms were not associated with this inflammatory condition. This meta-analysis showed that some IL18 polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to vasculitis. (Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 2020; 37 (2): 203-211)