Association of Interleukin 10 gene promoter polymorphisms with Rheumatoid Arthritis susceptibility in Iraqi women population; A case control study

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder primarily affecting the joints. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an important immunoregulatory cytokine involved in regulating the immune response and inflammation. Polymorphism in the promoter region of the IL-10 can affect the expression of the gene. This study aims to investigate the association of human IL-10 rs1800896 (-1082 A/G), rs1800871 (-824 C/T), and rs1800872 (-597 C/A) promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with susceptibility to RA in the Iraqi women population.

Here, 280 RA female patients who referred to the AL-Hussein Teaching Hospital in Karbala, Iraq between November 2022 to April 2023, and 120 healthy age-matched subjects were examined. The two groups were genotyped for rs1800896, rs1800871, and rs1800872 by tetra-primer ARMS–PCR. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS windows version 25

All the genotypes did not deviate from Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) expectations in both groups. No positive association was found between allele and genotype frequencies of three SNPs and the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (all p>0.05). Only the ACC haplotype showed an association with disease susceptibility (p-value=0.0004).

Based on the results, promoter SNPs of the IL-10 gene cannot be used as a suitable marker to determine the susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis in the Iraqi women population and to prevent its progression.