Genetic variants in the promoter region of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor are associated with the severity of Hepatitis C virus-induced liver fibrosis

Abstract

Two polymorphisms in the promoter region of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF)-rs755622 and rs5844572-exhibit prognostic relevance in inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate a correlation between these MIF promoter polymorphisms and the severity of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced liver fibrosis. Our analysis included two independent patient cohorts with HCV-induced liver fibrosis (504 and 443 patients, respectively). The genotype of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-173 G/C and the repeat number of the microsatellite polymorphism-794 CATT5–8 were determined in DNA samples and correlated with fibrosis severity. In the first cohort, homozygous carriers of the C allele in the rs755622 had lower fibrosis stages compared to heterozygous carriers or wild types (1.25 vs. 2.0 vs. 2.0; p = 0.03). Additionally, ≥7 microsatellite repeats were associated with lower fibrosis stages (