Impact of IL-6 Promotor AnTn Polymorphism on Blood IL-6 Levels and Pregnancy Outcome in Toxoplasma gondii Infected...

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite causing Toxoplasmosis in humans. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine that controls infection and helps maintain pregnancy. The study investigated the impact of IL-6 promoter polymorphism on blood IL-6 levels and pregnancy outcomes in T. gondii-infected women. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 244 women, including 83 infected in Group 1 (Group 1a = 43, Group 1b = 40), 81 uninfected with RPL (Group 2), and 80 controls (Group 3). Blood and placental tissue samples were collected, and screened for IL-6 levels using ELISA. The DNA was isolated, amplified for T. gondii DNA and the IL-6 gene by PCR, and the IL-6 gene was sequenced using the Sanger method. The genotypic (p < 0.001) and allelic (p < 0.001) frequencies were significantly variable. Highly prevalent genotypes were A10T11/A10T11 in Group 1a (28%), A9T11/A9T11 in Group 1b (27.5%) and Group 2 (33.3%), while A8T12/A10T10 and A10T10/A10T10 were in Group 3 (20% each). The mean blood IL-6 levels were significantly variable in all the study groups (p < 0.0001). The A9T11/A9T11 genotype was significantly linked with high IL-6 levels, while the A10T10/A10T11, A10T11/A10T11 and A10T10/A10T10 genotypes were associated with low IL-6 levels. In conclusion IL-6 AnTn polymorphism is associated with changed IL-6 levels and RPL in women infected by T. gondii.