| Summary: |
Introduction: IL-4 and IL-13 polymorphisms have been shown to influence the
susceptibility to systemic diseases. In this study, possible associations between the IL-
4 590 C ! T, IL-4 34 C ! T, IL-13 1112 C ! T and IL-13 1512 A ! C
promoter polymorphisms were investigated in subjects with generalized aggressive
periodontitis (AgP) compared with healthy individuals.
Material and Methods: Fifty-eight patients with diagnosis of generalized AgP and
51 matched healthy controls participated in the study. Blood samples were collected
and DNA isolated. Molecular analyses were performed by PCR-RFLP in a blind
fashion. Genotype and allele frequencies among study groups were compared
using Fisher’s exact test (a value: 0.05). Pearson’s w2 test was used for analysis of
Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium.
Results: The frequency of the IL-4 590 T/T and IL-4 34 T/T genotypes differed
significantly between groups (p50.05, 0.02, respectively), although the allele
frequencies were similar. There was a higher frequency of the IL-4 590 T/T and
IL-4 34 T/T genotypes in patients with AgP compared with controls. The genotype
and allele frequencies of the IL-13 polymorphisms did not differ between groups.
Conclusions: This study demonstrated an association between the IL-4 590 T/T
and IL-4 34 T/T genotypes and AgP. Further research is necessary to prove if there
is an association of these polymorphisms with AgP, and if the polymorphisms have
a functional effect.
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