Association Between IL-10 Gene Promoter Polymorphism and Hepatitis B Viral Infection in an Egyptian Population

Cytokines play critical roles in the pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus infection (HBV). This work was designed to study the effect of IL-10 gene polymorphisms (−1082G/A and −819C/T) on susceptibility of Egyptians to HBV. Genotyping was performed using single-stranded polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction in 118 Egyptian hepatitis B patients and 119 healthy controls, and IL-10 serum levels were measured using ELISA. The frequency of IL-10 −1082G/G was significantly higher in HBV patients than in healthy controls, and G/A and A/A were not significantly different between groups. The distribution of IL-10 −819 genotypes was not significantly different between the HBV and healthy control groups. Although AT was significantly different between controls and patients, the distribution of the other haplotypes was not. IL-10 levels were significantly lower among hepatitis B patients. Our data stress the importance of IL-10 gene polymorphism in HBV infection. Depending on our preliminary work, IL-10 −1082G/G may act as a host genetic factor in the susceptibility to HBV infection in Egyptians.