Interleukin-8 gene polymorphism is associated with acute coronary syndrome in the Chinese Han population.

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is one of the most common forms of heart disease. Recent studies have shown that interleukin (IL)-8 plays a key role in the development of atherosclerotic plaques, but the relationship between the common genetic variants of IL-8 and ACS has not been extensively studied.

Methods: This case-control study in the Chinese Han population included 675 patients with ACS and 636 age- and sex-matched controls. We investigated IL-8 polymorphisms and their association with susceptibility to ACS. The investigation was replicated in the second study comprising 360 cases and 360 control subjects. The plasma concentration of IL-8 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results: IL-8 -251 A/T polymorphism was associated with increased susceptibility to ACS (P=0.004; odds ratio=1.30; 95% confidence interval: 1.12-1.53). The second study yielded similar results. An increased IL-8 level was found in the plasma of acute myocardial infarction patients, suggesting that IL-8 -251 A/T may affect the expression of IL-8.

Conclusion: IL-8 -251 A/T polymorphism is associated with ACS risk in the Chinese Han population and the A allele of IL-8 -251 A/T may be an independent predictive factor for ACS.