Association of interleukin 4 (-590 T/C) and interleukin 4 receptor (Q551R A/G) gene polymorphisms with acne vulgaris

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Acne vulgaris is a common skin disorder. The complete etiology of this disease remains to be identified; however, it seems that aberrant expression of cytokine genes might be a contributing factor. This study aimed to investigate the association of genetic polymorphisms related to interleukin 4 (IL-4) promotor and receptor (IL-4R) genes as inflammatory modulators with acne vulgaris. Design and Setting: A case-control study 95 acne patients recruited from outpatient dermatology clinics affiliated with Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Patients and Methods: Acne patient data were compared with 87 normal healthy unrelated controls from the same locality. The genomic DNA was extracted and processed using the real-time polymerase chain reaction amplification for characterization of polymorphisms related to IL-4 (-590 T/C) and IL-4R (Q551R A/G) genes. Results: Acne patients compared to controls showed no significant difference in the frequencies of IL-4 (-590 T/C) polymorphic genotypes (P=.8), yet had a highly significant difference in IL-4R (Q551R A/G) genotypes (P.05). Conclusions: This study provides evidence for a significant association of IL-4R (Q551R A/G) genetic polymorphisms with the susceptibility rather than the severity of acne vulgaris.