title: Polymorphisms in the interleukin-8 gene in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: Airway inflammation is the main pathophysiological feature of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils and eosinophils. Increased IL-8 levels were observed in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and induced sputum in patients with COPD. To evaluate the role of the IL-8 gene, we genotyped blood samples of 122 COPD-patients and 385 healthy controls for a known polymorphism in the promoter region (-251 A/T) of the IL-8 gene. Additionally, we screened the coding region for further polymorphisms by SSCP analyses. Comparison of the allele and genotype frequencies among each group revealed no significant differences between patients and controls. Although IL-8 plays an important role in the chemotaxis of inflammatory cells, the polymorphisms investigated here do not seem to be involved in the genetic predisposition to COPD.
authors: Deparment of Internal Medicine III, Pneumology, Allergology and Sleep Medicine, University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany. umut.arinir@ruh-uni-bochum.de
authors: Umut
authors: U
authors: Arinir
authors: Wolfram
authors: W
authors: Klein
authors: Gernot
authors: G
authors: Rohde
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Stemmler
authors: Joerg T
authors: JT
authors: Epplen
authors: Gerhard
authors: G
authors: Schultze-Werninghaus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013183:Sputum / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016209:Interleukin-8