Generic Polymorphism of Cytokines and Allelic Distribution of HLA System Among some Coronary Patients, Descendents of Europeans in Argentina

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Abstract

Aims To test the hypothesis that the antigens in MHC class I and II, and the polymorphins of genes encoding the cytokines located in the promoter region of TNF-a and IL-10, the signla sequence of TGF-ß1, and the first intron of IFN-y are associated with evidences of past, present, and future atherosclerosis in some European descendents living in South America.

Material and results

Unstable angina patients were allocated either in Group I (subjects with a prior myocardial infarction in the past 12 months), or Group 2 (subjects without any prior tissue necrosis). Over one hun- dred control subjects were chosen from a similar sample of the population to establish their HLA allele distribution. At one-year follow-up, all of the patients in Group 1 required hospitalization because of the recurrence of ischemia, while none of the patients in Group 2 (p = 0.001) did. We found statistically significant differences in HLA B44 allele distribution between Group 1 and controls (p = 0.04), and in HLA DR B1-07 allele distribution between Group 2 and controls (p = 0.01). There were no TNF-a high producers in Group 1 compared to 8 (40%) in controls (p = 0.03), TGF-ß1 high producers in Group 1 were 7 (78%) vs. 8 (40%) in controls (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that some european descendents in Argentina, with genotype highly producer of cytokine TGF-ß1, low producer of the cytokine TNF-a, and including a HLA B44 allele, were more likely to have subsequent atherosclerotic episodes than control individuals of the same ethnicity.