Association of Interleukin-1 Beta and Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Gene Polymorphisms and Plasma Levels with Diabetic Nephropathy

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the relationships between interleukin- (IL-) 1β and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) gene polymorphism and plasma levels in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN). METHODS: The genotype and allele frequency distribution of IL-1β and IL-1Ra in 61 patients with DN and 48 healthy controls (HCs) were determined by kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP), and the plasma concentrations of IL-1β and IL-1Ra in DN patients and HCs were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). RESULTS: Significant differences were detected in the distribution of IL-1β (−511C/T) genotype and allele frequencies between the DN and HC groups (P < 0.05), with the T genotype being more frequent in DN patients than HCs (OR = 2.84, 95% CI: 1.489–5.416). The IL-1β (+3953C/T) and IL-1Ra (+8006C/T) genotypes and allele frequencies were not significantly different between the two groups (P > 0.05). The plasma IL-1β level was significantly higher (P < 0.01), while the plasma IL-1Ra concentration was significantly lower in the DN group than the HC group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the plasma IL-1β level was significantly different between IL-1β (−511C/T) locus variants (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The IL-1β (−511C/T) gene polymorphism was significantly associated with DN risk in the population of northern Guangxi, China, and the T allele maybe responsible for genetic susceptibility to DN.