Preterm delivery and cytokine gene polymorphisms

To investigate the association of preterm delivery with polymorphisms of IL-6, IL-10, IFN-gamma, TGFbeta1 and TNF-alpha genes.

The study group consisted of 45 Caucasian, 81 mixed race and 13 black women with a history of preterm labor, consecutively referred. All of them had delivered before 37 weeks' gestation. The control group was composed of 56 Caucasian, 48 mixed race and 15 black women with successful pregnancy. DNA was extracted from whole blood, and cytokine genotyping was performed using the Cytokine Genotyping Tray (One-Lambda, Canoba Park, California). The polymorphisms analyzed were: TNF-alpha (-08 G --> A), IL-10 (-1082 G --> A), IL-6 (-174 G --> C), TGFbeta1 (+10 T --> C e 25 C --> G) and IFN-gamma (+874 A --> T).

There were no differences in genotype frequencies of IL-10, TGF-beta, TNF-alpha or IL-6 polymorphisms between the groups. In the Caucasian group there was a trend toward increased frequencies of the TT genotype of IFN-gamma in controls.

Preterm delivery is not associated with TNF-alpha (-308), IL-10 (-1082), IL-6 (-174), TGFbeta1 (+10 e 25) or IFN-gamma (+874) polymorphisms.