Influence of proinflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms on the risk of COPD and the levels of plasma protein

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex and multifactorial disease involving systemic inflammation. Although certain genetic components have been implicated in the development and progression of this disease, few studies have examined the participation of polymorphisms in proinflammatory genes and the extent to which polymorphisms are related to plasma levels of cytokines involved in the inflammatory process. Methods: Of the 1125 smokers participating in the study, 438 had COPD, and 687 did not. We determined the genotype of 5 SNPs distributed in the genes: IL6, CXL8, CSF2, CCL1 and IL1B. The plasma protein expression of these genes was also evaluated and categorized according to genotype and the severity of COPD (GOLD grade). Results: An analysis using the codominant model showed an association between rs1818879 in IL6 and susceptibility to COPD (GA OR = 1.1, AA OR = 1.77; p < 0.01), as well as an association between rs25882 in CSF2 and a greater severity of the disease (TC OR = 1.84, CC OR = 3.62; p < 0.01). No association was found between the presence of certain alleles in the SNPs and the plasma levels of the corresponding proteins. Conclusions: There are genetic polymorphisms related to susceptibility to COPD (rs1818879/A in IL6), as well as to the risk of greater severity of the disease (rs25882/T in CSF2). The presence of the alleles of interest did not significantly affect plasma levels of the codified proteins.