Background: IL-13 (interleukin-13) and RANTES (Regulated upon Activation, Normal T cells Expressed and Secreted) are the important asthma inflammatory mediators.
Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the single and combined associations between the polymorphism (SNP) loci in IL-13 and RANTES genes with the development of asthma in children of Chinese Han nationality.
Methods: The risk associated with genotypes of three IL-13 SNPs and two RANTES SNPs was determined by the Χ2 test in 384 children with asthma and an equal number of healthy controls matched by sex.
Results: Between the experimental and control groups, no statistically significant differences (P >0.05) were found in genotype distribution and allele frequency among three loci (IL-13 C-1112T, IL-13 C1923T, and RANTES A-403G). However, significant diversity was observed among IL-13 A2044G (P =0.0001) and RANTES G-28C (P =0.0001). Moreover, the frequency of IL-13 A2044G A/A and RANTES G-28C G/G in the asthma group was significantly higher than in the control group (odds ratio [OR] =2.59, P =0.0001; OR =3.00, P =0.0001, respectively). Carriers of both IL-13 A2044G A/A and RANTES G-28C G/G have a more significant risk for developing asthma than those with only a single polymorphism.
Conclusions: The three loci (IL-13 C-1112T, IL-13 C1923T, and RANTES A-403G) make little contribution to the development of asthma in children of Chinese Han nationality. IL-13 A2044G and RANTES G-28C are significantly associated with childhood asthma. IL-13 A2044G A/A and RANTES G-28C G/G have a significant and combined effect on the development of asthma.