Association between interleukin-17 gene polymorphism and rheumatoid arthritis among Egyptians

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune systemic inflammatory disorder characterized by synovial inflammation, destruction of joints and systemic manifestations. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of RA. Objective: This study aimed to examine the associations between both IL-17A (197A/G; rs2275913) and IL-17F (7488A/G; rs763780 and 7383 A/G; rs2397084) gene polymorphisms and the susceptibility of RA among Egyptian population. Methods: IL-17A and IL-17F gene polymorphisms were determined in ninety eight patients with RA and ninety five healthy control subjects using polymerase chain reaction based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Results: There was no significant difference in the genotype and allele frequencies of IL-17A (rs2275913) and IL-17F (rs763780 and rs2397084) between the controls and the patients with RA (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study suggested that the IL-17A and IL-17F gene polymorphisms may not be associated with the susceptibility to RA among Egyptian population.