title: Evaluation of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta polymorphisms in Taiwan Chinese patients with pterygium.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pterygium, a complex disease, is associated with ultraviolet radiation, immunoinflammatory process, genetic factors, and virus infection. Ultraviolet radiation induces secretion of proinflammatory cytokines by the ocular surface epithelium, inflammatory cells in the tear fluid, or both. Among these cytokines, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)alpha and interleukin (IL)-1beta activate pterygium body fibroblasts, resulting in a phenotype capable of expressing various proteinases associated with extracellular matrix remodelling, angiogenesis, and fibroblast proliferation, which are important for pterygium formation and recurrence. The genetic factor was proposed to play a role in pterygium formation, but there were few studies to clarify this proposition. For investigating genetic factors, the association between pterygium and TNF-alpha and IL-1beta polymorphisms is evaluated in this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 128 pterygium patients and 103 volunteers without pterygium were enrolled in this study. Polymerase chain reaction-based analysis was used to resolve the TNF-alpha-308 promoter, IL-1beta-511 promoter, IL-1beta exon 5, and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1 Ra) polymorphisms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in the frequency of genotypes and alleles of TNF-alpha-308 promoter, IL-1beta-511 promoter, IL-1beta exon 5, and IL-1 Ra polymorphisms between both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The correlation between pterygium and TNF-alpha-308 promoter, IL-1beta-511 promoter, IL-1beta exon 5, and IL-1 Ra polymorphisms does not exist and those polymorphisms are not useful genetic markers for pterygium susceptibility. Further studies on other polymorphisms or haplotypes of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta are necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Y-Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S-H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Y-W
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: C-H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: C-M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: F-J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011625:Pterygium / Q000235:genetics*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha