Interleukin IL-1B gene polymorphism in Tunisian patients with chronic hepatitis B infection: Association with replication levels

IL-6 gene polymorphism predicts PEGylated IFN-α treatment response in hepatitis B surface antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B patients

Background: Genetic polymorphism can affect the response to antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Objective: The study examined the genetic association of the IL-6 rs1800796 polymorphism with PEGylated IFN-α (PegIFN-α) treatment response in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive CHB patients. Methods: Direct sequencing was done for the genotyping of the rs1800796 polymorphism in the serum of CHB patients. Results: More patients with combined response (n = 95) carried IL-6 rs1800796 GC genotypes, while CC genotype carriers possessed reduced HBeAg seroconversion rate and high values of hepatitis B virus DNA. Baseline HBsAg and HBeAg and IL-6 rs1800796 CC genotype were independently related to PegIFN-α treatment response. Conclusion: Detection of the IL-6 rs1800796 genotype in CHB patients may have potential guiding significance for PegIFN-α response.

Strong association of functional polymorphism in IL-12B with susceptibility to chronic hepatitis B in Tunisia

BACKGROUND

The chronicity or clearance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection depends on viral and genetic variables. The immune response against HBV is thought to be responsible for viral persistence or clearance. Cytokines such as interleukin 1-2B (IL1-2B) involved in the T-helper 1 system are key mediators in the defence mechanisms against viral infection and play a role in the regulation of HBV clearance during infection. We aimed to examine whether the polymorphic variant TaqI polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR; rs3212227) suspected to modulate interleukin-levels of IL-12B has an influence on the risk of development of chronicity after HBV exposure.

METHODS

Genotyping was performed by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method for 236 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 240 controls from different cities of Tunisia recruited in the Pasteur Institute of Tunisia between January 2017 and December 2018.

RESULTS

We found that the IL-12B polymorphism was associated with a significantly increased risk of CHB in patients (p = 1 × 10^-3 ; χ ²  = 10.31 and odds ratio [OR] = 2.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.30-3.52) when AC/CC variant genotypes were compared with the wild-type AA homozygote. Statistical significance was found when CHB-males were compared with CHB-females (p = 2 × 10^-7 ; χ ²  = 26.62 and p = 1 × 10^-3 ; χ ²  = 10.36, for genotypic and allelic frequencies, respectively). Also, CHB-patients carrying C-allele less than 50-years were at an increased risk of developing chronic HBV infection than patients more than 50-years (p = 6.1 × 10^-5 ; χ ²  = 16.07).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that the C-allele would affect susceptibility to chronicity after HBV exposure in Tunisian patients especially for males less than 50-years. Age and sex have an influence on this polymorphism in CHB Tunisian patients.