Association Analysis Between IL-33 rs1157505 Polymorphism and Multiple Sclerosis Risk in Women from Lithuania

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disorder affecting the central nervous system, marked by inflammation, demyelination, and progressive neurodegeneration. The disease involves complex interactions between genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers leading to immune system dysregulation and neuronal injury (Portaccio et al., 2024). Importantly, MS disproportionately affects women, who are two to three times more likely to develop the disease than men, highlighting potential sex-specific genetic and immunological factors (Coyle, 2021). Interleukin-33 (IL-33), a cytokine involved in immune regulation and tissue repair, plays a significant role in modulating inflammatory responses in MS (Augustine et al., 2019). Although the IL-33 gene polymorphism rs1157505 has been primarily studied in Alzheimer’s disease, IL-33’s involvement in immune pathways supports exploring this variant’s association with MS susceptibility, particularly in women (Chapuis et al., 2009). We aimed to investigate the association between IL-33 gene polymorphism rs1157505 and susceptibility to multiple sclerosis in women within the Lithuanian population. The study enrolled 145 patients with MS and 145 healthy controls. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes using the DNA salting-out method. Genotyping was carried out using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. Statistical analysis was performed with „SPSS version 30.0“. Logistic regression revealed that the G allele is associated with a 1.6-fold increase in the odds of developing MS under the additive model (OR = 1.575; 95% CI: 1.042–2.381; p = 0.031). The CG genotype was linked to a 1.8-fold increase in odds under the codominant model (OR = 1.801; 95% CI: 1.107–2.931; p = 0.018), as were the combined CG + GG genotypes under the dominant model (OR = 1.773; 95% CI: 1.105–2.845; p = 0.018). The CG genotype alone also showed a 1.8-fold increase under the overdominant model (OR = 1.756; 95% CI: 1.186–2.840; p = 0.022). Our results showed that the IL-33 rs1157505 polymorphism is linked with higher odds of MS development, but further research is required.