Objective: To make investigations on the polymorphism of interleukin-1 (IL-1)gene in Chinese Han population, on its association with essential hypertension, and on the relationship between the genotype of IL-1 and susceptibility to essential hypertension.
Methods: The polymorphisms of IL-1 gene in Han population of Hubei province, including polymorphisms of IL-1alpha (-889C/T), IL-1beta (-511C/T),IL-1beta (+3953C/T), IL-1Ra(+8006T/C) and IL-1Ra (variable number of tandem repeat, VNTR), were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a combination of PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism methods in 152 patients with essential hypertension and 168 healthy controls.
Results: The polymorphism distributions of IL-1alpha (-889C/T), IL-1beta (+3953C/T), IL-1Ra (+8006T/C) and IL-1Ra (VNTR) showed no differences between the essential hypertension group and control group, but the IL-1beta (-511C/T) exhibited a significant difference between the two groups. CT genotype carriers were at increased risk for essential hypertension (OR=2.54, 95%CI: 1.41-4.58), compared with healthy controls.
Conclusion: The polymorphism of promotor region -511C/T in IL-1beta gene is probably associated with the susceptibility to essential hypertension.