Genetic association of polymorphism rs2230054 in CXCR2 gene with gout in Chinese Han male population

Anti-inflammatory Properties of Tongfeng Li'an Granules in an Acute Gouty Arthritis Rat Model

OBJECTIVES

To examine the anti-inflammatory properties and underlying mechanisms of Tongfeng Li'an Granules (TFLA), a traditional medicine, in acute gouty arthritis using a rat model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We identified 55 major compounds in TFLA via ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography connected to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-TQF-MS/MS). Databases were employed for the prediction of potential targets, followed by PPI network construction as well as GO and KEGG analyses. After network-pharmacology-based analysis, a rat gouty arthritis model was used to validate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of TFLA.

RESULTS

UPLC-TQF-MS/MS and network pharmacology analyses revealed 55 active ingredients and 160 targets of TFLA associated with gouty arthritis, forming an ingredient-target-disease network. The PPI network identified 20 core targets, including TLR2, TLR4, IL6, NFκB, etc. Functional enrichment analyses highlighted the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway as significantly enriched by multiple targets, validated in in vivo experiments. Animal experiments demonstrated that TFLA improved pathological changes in gouty joint synovium, with decreased ankle joint circumference, serum IL6, IL10, and TNFα levels, as well as reduced protein and mRNA expression of NLRP3, TLR2, and TLR4 in ankle joint synovial tissue observed in the middle- and high-dose TFLA and positive control groups compared to the model group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This research elucidated the pharmacological mechanisms of TFLA against gouty arthritis, implicating various ingredients, targets, and signaling pathways. Animal experiments confirmed TFLA's efficacy in alleviating inflammation in acute gouty arthritis by modulating Toll-like receptor signaling and NLRP3 expression.

Exploring the Association of Biochemical Characterization and Genetic Determinants of TNF-α, CXCR2, and CCR5 Delta 32 Mutation with Predisposition to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

PCOS is a heterogeneous, multifactorial endocrine disorder with a complex pathophysiology. It is a globally rising infertility disorder that affects a large percentage of women of reproductive age, with a relatively high prevalence of 8-13%. Genome-wide association studies have revealed associations of genetic variations with many diseases, including PCOS. The cellular activity of IL8 is mediated by the receptor CXCR2, and transcription of IL8 is controlled by TNF-α. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association of TNF-α, CCR5-delta32, and CXCR2 gene variations with PCOS.

METHODOLOGY

In this case control study, we used amplification-refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR to detect and determine the presence of the polymorphic variants TNF-α, CCR5-delta32, and CXCR2 in the study subjects. These gene polymorphs may serve as critical candidate gene variants in PCOS pathogenesis and therapeutics.

RESULTS

The case-control study's findings revealed that the majority of the biochemical and endocrine serum biomarkers examined in the investigation-including lipids (LDL, HDL, and cholesterol), T2DM markers (fasting glucose, free insulin, and HOMA-IR), and hormones (FSH, LH, testosterone, and progesterone)-exhibited statistically significant changes in PCOS patients. The distributions of TNF-α (rs1800629), CCR5-delta32, and CXCR2 (rs2230054) genotypes analyzed within PCOS patients and healthy controls in the considered population were significant (p < 0.05). The heterozygosity of CXCR2-CA, TNF-α GA, and CCR5(WT+Δ32*) genotypes was significantly associated with PCOS susceptibility, with high OR and p < 0.05 in the codominant model. Similarly, the A allele of the TNF-α and CXCR2 genes, along with the CCR5Δ32*(mutant) allele, was significantly associated with PCOS susceptibility, with high OR and p < 0.05. Likewise, the CXCR2 (CA+AA) vs CC genotype was associated with increased susceptibility to PCOS, with OR 2.25, p < 0.032.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study concludes that TNF-α rs1800629G>A, CXCR2-rs2230054C>T, and CCR5-Delta32 rs333 are potential loci for developing PCOS in the Tabuk population. These findings might eventually be useful in identifying and classifying those who are at risk for PCOS. To validate these results, it is advised that further longitudinal studies be conducted in diverse ethnic populations and with larger sample sizes.

Ahmed M, Amle D. Molecular Determination of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, Interleukin-8, Interleukin-10, and C-X-C Chemokine Receptor-2 Genetic Variations and their Association with Disease Susceptibility and Mortality in COVID-19 Patients

Background

Altered cytokine levels have been associated with poor outcomes among COVID-19 patients. TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-10 are key cytokines in COVID-19 pathogenesis, and CXCR-2 is a major chemokine receptor involved in inflammatory response. Polymorphisms in the genes of these proteins are proposed to influence disease outcomes. In this study, we aimed to find out the association of genetic polymorphisms in TNF-α, IL-8, IL-10 and CXCR-2 genes with susceptibility to and mortality of COVID-19.

Methods

The present case-control study was conducted on 230 subjects, among whom 115 were clinically diagnosed and RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients and 115 healthy control subjects. The polymorphisms in TNFα -308 G>A (rs1800629), IL-8 -251T>A (rs4073), CXCR2 +785 C>T (rs2230054) genes were detected by ARMS -PCR assay whereas for IL-10 (-1082 G>A), rs1800896 G>A allele-specific PCR assay was used and their association with COVID-19 susceptibility and mortality was estimated by multivariate analysis. The results were analyzed for risk of infection and mortality through different inheritance models.

Results

Frequencies of TNF-α rs1800629 GA, AA, IL-8 rs4073 TA, AA, IL-10 (-1082 G>A), rs1800896 GA and GG, and CXCR2 rs2230054 CT genotypes were significantly higher in COVID-19 patients compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, COVID-19 patients had a higher frequency of the polymorphic A allele of TNF-α, the A allele of IL-8, the G allele of IL-10, and the T allele of CXCR2. The risk of susceptibility to COVID-19 was significantly associated with TNF-α rs1800629 GA, GA+AA genotypes and the A allele, IL-8 rs4073 TA, AA genotypes and A allele, IL-10 rs1800872 GA and CC genotypes and C allele, and CXCR2 rs2230054 CT and CT+CC genotypes. TNF-α-GA and AA genotypes and A allele, IL-8 TA and AA genotypes and A allele and CXCR-2 CC and CT genotypes have significant associations with mortality risk in COVID-19 patients, while GA and GG genotypes of the IL-10 are shown to confer significant protection against mortality from COVID-19.

Conclusion

The findings of this study provide important insights into the COVID-19 disease and susceptibility risk. The polymorphisms in TNFα -308 G>A (rs1800629), IL-8 -251T>A (rs4073), IL-10 (-1082 G>A), rs1800896 and CXCR2 +785 C>T (rs2230054) are associated with the risk of susceptibility to COVID-19 and with mortality in COVID-19 patients. Further studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to confirm our findings.

Identification of hub genes and transcription factors in patients with primary gout complicated with atherosclerosis

Evidence shows that primary gout is prone to develop to atherosclerosis, but the mechanism of its occurrence is still not fully clarified. The aim of this study was to explore the molecular mechanism of the occurrence of this complication in gout. The gene expression profiles of primary gout and atherosclerosis were downloaded from the gene expression omnibus database. Overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between gout and atherosclerosis were identified. The biological roles of common DEGs were explored through enrichment analyses. Hub genes were identified using protein-protein interaction networks. The immune infiltrations of 28 types of immune cells in gout and control samples from GSE160170 were evaluated by the ssGSEA method. Transcription factors (TFs) were predicted using Transcriptional Regulatory Relationships Unraveled by Sentence Based Text Mining (TRRUST) database. A total of 168 overlapping DEGs were identified. Functional enrichment analyses indicated that DEGs were mostly enriched in chemokine signaling pathway, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, and TNF signaling pathway. CytoScape demonstrated 11 hub genes and two gene cluster modules. The immune infiltration analysis showed that the expression of DEGs in gout was significantly upregulated in activated CD4 T cells, gamma delta T cells, T follicular helper cell, CD56dim natural killer cells, and eosinophil. TRRUST predicted one TF, RUNX family transcription factor 1. Our study explored the pathogenesis of gout with atherosclerosis and discovered the immune infiltration of gout. These results may guide future experimental research and clinical transformation.

Investigating the impact of the genetic variant CXCR1 (rs2234671) in individuals with urinary tract infections

BACKGROUND

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are currently posing a worldwide health concern by affecting millions of people. The genetic variant rs2234671 in the CXCR1-interleukin-8 receptor is closely related to a raised UTI risk.

OBJECTIVES

In this work, the impact of CXCR1 (rs2234671) on UTI individuals was examined.

METHODS

The demographic features of 30 recurrent UTI patients and 20 controls were thoroughly investigated. Bacterial isolation and identification were performed by the implementation of cultural and biochemical methods. DNA extraction, purification of all samples from both patients and healthy people, and IL-8 rs2234671 (C/G) SNP genotyping using T-ARMS-PCR were performed. The significance of the results was evaluated by carrying out a statistical analysis.

FINDINGS

The patient's average age was 34.63 ± 11.44 years, and controls averaged 30.30 ± 8.59 years (P= 0.156). No significant gender difference existed (P= 0.804). Escherichia coli (63.3%) was predominant, followed by Proteus mirabilis (26.7%), Enterococcus faecalis (23.3%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (10.0%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.0%). No significant association was found between bacterial species frequency, age, or sex. From the CXCR1 (rs2234671) frequency comparison, a higher GG genotype incidence in UTI patients than controls was extracted (26.7% vs. 15.0%), though not statistically significant. Risk analysis revealed that GG homozygous and C/G heterozygous genotypes were not UTI risk factors (OR = 2.47 and OR = 1.85, respectively). Moreover, the allele frequencies displayed no significant difference between the patients and controls (G allele: 66.7% vs. 66.7%; C allele: 33.3% vs. 33.3%).

MAIN CONCLUSIONS

Although no significant association between CXCR1 (rs2234671) and UTI was found, the GG genotype may point to the increasing probability of UTI risk. Additional research is required to confirm and expand these conclusions.

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms link gout with health-related lifestyle factors in Korean cohorts

Gout-a very painful inflammatory arthritis caused by the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in the joints-is influenced by several factors. We identified the association of single- nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that link gout with health-related lifestyle factors using genomic data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 18,927 samples of 438 Korean patients with gout and 18,489 controls for the discovery stage. For the replication stage, another batch containing samples of 326 patients with gout and 2,737 controls were analyzed. Lastly, a meta-analysis was performed using these two cohorts. We analyzed the effects of health-related lifestyle factors, including eating habits, physical activity, drinking behavior, and smoking behavior, on gout. After identifying the association between GWAS-derived SNPs and health-related lifestyle factors, we confirmed the interaction between the polygenic risk score (PRS) and health-related lifestyle factors. We identified 15 SNPs related to gout, among which rs1481012 of ABCG2 located on chromosome 4 has been newly discovered (P = 2.46e-11). On examining the interaction between SNPs and health-related lifestyles, rs3109823-located in ABCG2-was found to be associated with smoking status. In addition, rs11936395-located in SLC2A9-was significantly associated with the average momentum of exercise per session, whereas rs11066325 located in PTPN11, showed a significant association with the number of exercise sessions per week, smoking status, drinking status, and amount of soju drink per session. rs9421589-located in FAM35A-was significantly associated with the duration of smoking. In addition, we verified that the association between PRS and duration of smoking affects gout. Thus, in this study, we identified novel SNPs that link gout with health-related lifestyle factors in the Korean population.

Identification of Inflammation-Related Biomarker Pro-ADM for Male Patients With Gout by Comprehensive Analysis

Objective

Gout is a local inflammatory disease caused by the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in joints or adjacent tissues. When some gout occurs without hyperuricemia, or its clinical symptoms and signs are not typical, the diagnosis of gout will be delayed, so there is an urgent need to find a new biomarker to predict and diagnose of gout flare. Our research attempts to find the key genes and potential molecular mechanisms of gout through bioinformatics analysis, and collected general data and blood biochemical samples of patients with gout and healthy, then analyzed and compared the expression of factors regulated by key genes.

Method

GSE160170 were downloaded from GEO database for analysis. The data were normalized to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), then GO and KEGG enrichment analysis were applied. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and hub genes between DEGs were identified. Then collect general information and blood samples from male patients with acute gout, hyperuricemia and healthy. ELISA method was used to detect pro-ADM levels of different groups, and the data was input into SPSS statistical software for analysis.

Result

We identified 266 DEGs (179 up-regulated and 87 down-regulated) between gout patients and healthy controls. GO analysis results show that DEGs are mostly enriched in inflammatory response, growth factor activity, cytokine activity, chemokine activity, S100 protein binding and CXCR chemokine receptor binding. KEGG pathway analysis showed that DEGs are mainly related to Chemokine signaling pathway and Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. ADM, CXCR1, CXCR6, CXCL3, CCL3, CCL18, CCL3L3, CCL4L1, CD69, CD83, AREG, EREG, B7RP1, HBEGF, NAMPT and S100B are the most important hub genes in the PPI network. We found that the expression of pro-ADM in the gout group and hyperuricemia group was higher than that in the healthy group, and the difference was statistically significant.

Conclusion

In this study, a series of bioinformatics analyses were performed on DEGs to identify key genes and pathways related to gout. Through clinical verification, we found that pro-ADM can be used as an inflammation-related biomarker for acute attacks of gout, providing new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of gout.