The Possible Association of IL-6R Gene Polymorphisms in the Development of Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common complication of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Chronic inflammation and a combination of environmental and genetic factors are involved in the pathogenesis and development of DN.

This case-control study aimed to determine the relationship between rs7529229 and rs2228145 polymorphisms of the IL-6R gene with the incidence of nephropathy among T2D patients.

Fifty-six diabetic patients with nephropathy and 57 T2D patients without nephropathy were included based on inclusion criteria, along with 150 healthy individuals.

The frequencies of AC and CC genotype distributions of the rs2228145 polymorphism in DN patients were significantly higher than in healthy individuals (24.1 and 9.3% versus 10.7 and 6.7%, respectively, P= 0.02). Moreover, the frequency of allele C was higher in DN patients compared to healthy controls (21.30% versus 12%, P=0.025). However, genotype distribution and allele frequencies of the rs7529229 IL-6R polymorphism in DN patients were not statistically significant in comparison with diabetic patients and healthy individuals (P> 0.05).

The results showed that the allele and genotype distribution frequencies of rs2228145 IL-6R gene polymorphism in patients with DN were significantly higher than in healthy individuals. Therefore, the presence of this polymorphism may be involved in the development of diabetic nephropathy in this population.