title: The association between interleukin-4 -590C/T genetic polymorphism, IL-4 serum level, and advanced endometriosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aim of the study was to investigate interleukin (IL)-4 serum levels in patients with advanced endometriosis and whether IL-4 promoter region (-590C/T) genetic polymorphism is involved in genetic susceptibility to endometriosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  IL-4 serum levels and IL-4 -590C/T genetic polymorphism were determined for 80 patients with advanced endometriosis and 85 healthy fertile women using a multiplex cytokine kit, with a Luminex 200 system; high molecular weight genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes, and further analyzed by PCR amplification and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-PFLP). The relationship between IL-4 serum levels, genotypes and haplotypes and the presence of endometriosis was explored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Interleukin 4 serum levels were significantly higher in the endometriosis group compared to controls (138,459 compared to 84,710, p < 0.001). No significant difference was observed in IL-4 serum levels between genotypes. There were no differences in IL-4 -590C/T genotypes and allele frequencies between control women and patients with endometriosis (χ (2) = 0.496, and χ (2) = 0.928, OR = 1.3636, CI: 0.725-2.564).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that in patients with advanced stages of endometriosis there is a higher serum level of IL-4, and that this value, or the presence of the disease, is not influenced by the presence of IL-4 -590C/T genetic polymorphism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology II, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Andrei M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Malutan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Drugan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Tudor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Drugan
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology II, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Razvan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ciortea
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology II, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mihu
keywords: cytokine; endometriosis; genetic polymorphism; interleukin