title: Interleukin-18 gene promoter and serum level in women with ovarian cancer.
abstract: IL-18, initially defined as a potent inducer of IFN- gamma production, is a systemic, multifunctional cytokine with both pro-cancerous and anti-cancer activities. The contribution of the IL-18 promoter polymorphisms at positions -607 (C/A) and -137 (G/C) to cancer development has been reported. We sought to examine IL-18 serum level and its polymorphisms in Iranian women with ovarian cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at positions -607 (C/A) and -137 (G/C) were analyzed by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction in 85 women with ovarian cancer and 158 healthy controls. IL-18 serum level was determined using ELISA method. No significant association was found between the allele, genotype, and haplotype distributions of the SNPs and ovarian cancer. Mean IL-18 serum level was significantly higher in patients than in controls (P = 0.008). Comparing IL-18 serum levels with genotypes at positions -607 and -137 revealed no significant difference. No association was also found between IL-18 levels and the disease stage. In conclusion, our results indicate that IL-18 promoter polymorphisms at positions -607 (C/A) and -137 (G/C) appear not to confer susceptibility to ovarian cancer in Iranian population; however, IL-18 serum level increases in ovarian cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. samsamia@sums.ac.ir
authors.forename: Alamtaj
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Samsami Dehaghani
authors.forename: Khatere
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shahriary
authors.forename: Mohammad Amin
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kashef
authors.forename: Sirous
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naeimi
authors.forename: Mohammad Javad
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fattahi
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mojtahedi
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghaderi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
chemical_list: D020382:Interleukin-18