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Interleukin-10G and interleukin-10R microsatellite polymorphisms and osteoarthritis of the knee

P. Fytili¹, E. Giannatou², Th. Karachalios¹, K. Malizos¹, A. Tsezou³

¹Department of Orthopedics, University of Thessaly, and ³Laboratory of Medical Genetics and Cytogenetics, University Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Larissa; ²University of Athens, 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Athens, Greece.

ABSTRACT
Objective
To clarify and evaluate the possible role of interleukin-10G (IL-10G) and interleukin-10R (IL-10R) microsatellite polymorphisms of IL-10 gene in knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods
This was a case-control study. Our population consisted of 132 patients with primary knee osteoarthritis who had undergone total knee replacement (TKR) and 165 unaffected controls. Peripheral blood was used to extract genomic DNA and the IL-10G and IL-10R polymorphisms were examined by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method and were analyzed using an automated DNA analysis method.

Results
A significant difference in the genotype distribution between OA individuals and controls was observed for IL-10G gene. Individuals with LL genotype were found to have almost 4 times greater possibility for knee OA than the ones with SS genotype (p = 0.001). OA patients had a significantly higher mean number of CA repeats for IL-10G gene than controls (p = 0.007). No significant differences in allelic frequencies between OA patients and controls were found for IL-10R gene.

Conclusion
An association between IL-10G microsatellite polymorphisms and idiopathic knee OA was found in subjects of Greek descent.

Key words
Knee osteoarthritis, cytokines, IL-10, IL-10G, IL-10R, microsatellite polymorphisms

Please address correspondence to: Aspasia Tsezou, MD, Assistant Professor Medical Genetics, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Department of Biology and Genetics, 22 Papakyriazi str., 41 222 Larissa, Greece.
E-mail: atsezou@med.uth.gr