Lack of association between Interleukin-12 gene polymorphism (rs568408 G/A) and susceptibility to chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Introduction: Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening infection that causes acute infection and chronic hepatitis with progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Interleukin-12 (IL12) is responsible for activation of Th1 immune responses, leading to possible clearance of HBV infection from the host’s body. The host’s immune-genetic background plays an important role in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of interleukin 12A single nucleotide polymorphism (rs568408 G/A) with chronic HBV infection. Methods: In this case-control study, 120 chronic HBV patients and 120 healthy controls were studied from 2013 to 2015. Genotype analysis was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Results: The genotype distribution of IL12 rs568408 G/A was not significantly different between the chronic HBV patients and healthy controls. The frequency rates of the IL12 gene polymorphism at position rs568408 included GG (64.2%), AG (33.3%), and AA (2.5%) in the HBV patients and GG (68.3%), AG (29.2%), and AA (2.5%) in healthy controls (p=0.728). Conclusion: The results suggested no significant association between IL12A rs568408 G/A genotypes and chronic hepatitis B virus infection.