Gender Susceptibility to Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Associated with Interleukin 10 Promoter Polymorphism

Abstract

Elevated levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10) were previously described for chronically hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. We determined by a sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing technique the IL-10 promoter genotypes in 286 Argentinean HCV patients grouped according to disease outcome. The GG genotype (position −1082) is known to be associated with high IL-10 production, GA is considered an intermediate producer, and AA is associated with low IL-10 production. We found an increase in frequency of the GG genotype in female patients who do not eliminate the virus (RNA⁺). In these patients, the GG frequency was 0.19, versus 0.10 in controls (P= 0.03). This association became more significant in those RNA⁺female patients with elevated hepatic transaminases (GG frequency of 0.25;P= 0.0013). Additionally, this genotype frequency was higher in noncirrhotic female patients than in controls (GG frequency for noncirrhotic female patients was 0.31;P= 0.009). In RNA⁻patients, the GA frequency was elevated compared with that in controls (GA frequency of 0.76 in RNA⁻patients versus 0.48 in controls;P= 0.01), that in all HCV patients (GA frequency of 0.43;P= 0.001), and that in RNA⁺patients (GA frequency of 0.40;P= 0.0005). We conclude that a gender effect is observed with women carrying the GG high IL-10 producer genotype. The higher levels of IL-10 present in those individuals are associated with a higher risk of an inefficient clearance of the HCV and the development of a chronic HCV infection together with a lower risk of progression to cirrhosis in female patients.