Background: As of the potential immunomodulatory effects of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and its importance in inhibiting the production of proinflammatory cytokines by monocytes and activated T cells, the IL-4 gene polymorphisms were investigated in a group of patients with chronic heart failure due to ischemic heart disease.
Methods: Forty three patients with ischemic heart failure (IHF) were enrolled in this study and compared with 139 healthy individuals. The allele and genotype frequency of 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms within the IL-4 gene were determined.
Results: The frequency of the IL-4 -590/T allele in the patient group was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.0001). The most frequent genotypes in patients with IHF were IL-4 (-590) CC (p < 0.0001), IL-4 (-33) CC (p = 0.021), and IL-4 (-33) TT (p < 0.0001). The frequency of the following genotypes was significantly lower in patients compared to controls: IL-4 (-1098) TG (p = 0.035), IL-4 (-590) TC (p < 0.0001), and IL-4 (-33) TC (p < 0.0001). The most frequent IL-4 haplotypes in the patient group, which were significantly higher than in the control group, were TCC (p < 0.0001), TCT (p = 0.0242), and GCT (p = 0.0108) haplotypes. In contrast, the frequencies of the following haplotypes in the patient group were significantly lower than in the controls: GCC (p = 0.032), TTT (p = 0.0268), and TTC (p = 0.0399).
Conclusions: Certain alleles, genotypes, and haplotypes in IL-4 gene were over represented inpatients with IHF, which may, in turn, predispose individuals to this disease.