Study the association between rs1800629 polymorphism in tumor necrosis factor alpha gene and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Background: Cytokines have vital roles in the autoimmune disease known as insulin-dependent diabetic mellitus (IDDM), which is genetically predisposed. Several studies elucidated that tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene (TNF-α) polymorphism was related to the evolution of diabetes mellitus. The current study was aimed to evaluate the cytokines TNF-α and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels as well as to assess the gene polymorphism of TNF-α rs1800629 (-308G/A) variations among diabetic children.Subjects and Methods: The study was carried out on 161 IDDM cases and 120 non-diabetic subjects. The cytokine TNF-α and IL-6 levels were evaluated in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The TNF-α -308G/A (rs1800629) gene polymorphism was examined with the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. Results: Serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were elevated among IDDM patients in comparison to controls, and a positive correlation was indicated between TNF-α and IL-6 (r = 0.235, p<0.001). The association analysis showed a significant difference in the TNF-α gene between patients and controls. Specifically, the patients with the A/A genotype had a considerably greater risk of IDDM compared with the control. Conclusion: The findings indicated that the mutant TNF-α (308 A/A) (rs1800629) was a risk factor for IDDM vulnerability in children. Hence, TNF-α plays an essential role in the evolution and pathogenesis of IDDM, and it might be a useful indicator of the disease's progression.