Cytokine gene polymorphisms in Japanese patients with hepatitis B virus infection -: association between TGF-β1 polymorphisms and hepatocellular carcinoma

Background/Aims: In this study, we determined the frequencies of the genotypes associated with the polymorphism of the cytokines genes, and investigated their association with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers. Methods: Genetic polymorphism in the cytokines TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, TGF-beta 1, IL-6, and IL-10 were studied in 236 Japanese patients with HBV infection. The genetic polymorphisms of these cytokines were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific primer (SSP). Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the genetic polymorphisms of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL-10 genes between HBV carriers with HCC and those without HCC. However, the TGF-beta 1 + 29 (codon 10) C/C genotype was lower in HBV carriers with HCC than in those without HCC (HCC 14.6% vs non-HCC 31.9%). The association of HCC was significantly lower in HBV carriers with C/C genotype than in those with T/C or T/T genotype in position + 29 of the TGF-beta 1 gene. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the genetic polymorphism in codon 10 of the TGF-beta 1 gene may play a role in HCC development in patients with chronic HBV infection. (C) 2004 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.