Polymorphisms of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor gene promoters and cardiorespiratory function following liver transplantation: a preliminary study

Abstract

Introduction: The interindividual variability in cardiorespiratory function during liver transplantation (OLT) has been attributed to various factors, including polymorphisms in immunity genes known to affect the circulation levels of cytokines. Aim: To evaluate polymorphisms of genes encoding for interleukin-6 (IL6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in association with cardiorespiratory function in OLT. Design: Prospective observational study. Patients and methods: We studied 62 consecutive patients who had OLT performed in our hospital between 2004 and 2005. Polymorphisms at positions -308 and -409 of TNF gene, as well as those at -174 and -574 of IL6 gene were determined in all patients by means of PCR-RFLPs. Associations were carried out using chi-square tests and analysis of variance. A bilateral P < .05 was accepted as significant. Results: No statistically significant associations were observed. Conclusions: A relationship between the polymorphisms studied and respiratory function in OLT was lacking. These results must be interpreted with caution due to the limited sample size.