Correlation Between TNF-α Polymorphism And Severe Acne Of Han Chinese In Southern Sichuan

Objective: Acne Vulgaris(or simply Acne) is a chronic dermal infla mmation. Pathogenesis of acne is quite complicated, involving excessive secretion of oil grands, follicles hyperkeratinisation, and obviously, infla mmation. Tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α) is one the most important pro-inflammatory cytokines. With the increasing level of TNF-α, the seve rity of inflammation and acne can be raised. TNF-α gene shows high leve l of genetic polymorphisms especially in its promoter region. Single nucle otide polymorphisms(SNPs) of the TNF-a gene is involved in developme nt of chronic inflammatory diseases. Relationship between TNF-α and se vere acne in Han Chinese in Southern Sichuan, however, has not been dis covered. This study aims to explore correlation between TNF-α level and severe acne. Methods: A total of 300 severe acne patients and 200 health y controls, all Han Chinese from southern Sichuan, participated in this stu dy. The level of serum TNF-α of the severe acne patients and the control were analyzed by ELISA. The single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) o f TNF-α-238G/A,-857C/T,-863C/A gene were examined with Polymeras e chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP). Relationship between genotypes and the susceptibility of severe acne wasanalyzed. All of the statistics processing was conducted by SPSS for win dows version 10.0. T test was applied to analyze levels of TNF-α, while Chi square test to compare frequencies of genetic variants. Results: 1. T NF-α concentration in patients with severe acne was significantly higher t han healthy control group(χ2=2.322,P<0.01).2. Significant difference was detected among frequencies of genotypes CC,CT,TT in the TNF-α-857 genetic polymorphisms between patients and control group(χ2=11.51,P<0.01); as well as difference in the allele(C) frequency between sever e acne and healthy control(P<0.05). But there was no correlation between TNF-α-238G/A and TNF-α-863C/A with acne. Conclusion: These findi ngs indicated that TNF-α may play an important role in the pathogenesis of severe acne and is associated with the etiology of this disease. High fre quency of C allele in the TNF-α-857 is a risk factor of severe acne in Han Chinese in southern Sichuan.