Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on April 24, 2008
Alcohol and Alcoholism, doi:10.1093/alcalc/agn026
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Interleukin-10 Gene Polymorphism is Associated with Alcoholism but not With Alcoholic Liver Disease
1 Unidad de Alcoholismo, Servicio de Medicina Interna II, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain and
2 Unidad de Medicina Molecular, Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
* Corresponding author: Francisco Javier Laso, Servicio de Medicina Interna II, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Paseo de San Vicente 58-182, 37007 Salamanca, Spain. Tel: +34-923291641; Fax: +34-923294739; E-mail: laso{at}usal.es
Received 16 November 2007; first review notified 29 January 2008; in revised form 14 February 2008; accepted 20 March 2008
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Abstract |
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Aims: To determine whether the functional polymorphism –592C>A of the interleukin (IL)-10 gene (IL10) influences the development of alcoholic liver disease or alcoholism in alcoholic Spanish subjects. Methods: The –592C>A IL10 polymorphism was analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction and digestion with restriction enzymes in 257 male alcoholics [161 without alcoholic liver disease and 96 with alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC)] and 100 male healthy controls. Results: We found no association between the –592C>A IL10 polymorphism and ALC. Meta-analysis combining this result and data from previous studies failed also to show any significant association between this polymorphism and alcoholic liver disease. However, the frequency of allele A carriers (CA and AA genotypes) was significantly higher in alcoholic patients (defined as patients with abuse or dependence of alcohol) than in healthy controls. Conclusion: The –592C>A IL10 polymorphism is not related to the risk of ALC. Nevertheless, our study shows that alcoholism is associated with an excess of allele A carriers in alcoholic patients.