Interleukin-1B (IL-1B) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) gene polymorphisms are not associated with tubal pathology and Chlamydia trachomatis-related tubal factor subfertility

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia trachomatis infections have been associated with tubal pathology. However, not all C.trachomatis-infected women actually develop tubal pathology. Recently, host genetic factors such as the interleukin-1 gene cluster have been linked to inflammatory and infectious diseases. METHODS: Dutch Caucasian women were investigated for (i) the role of interleukin-1B (IL-1B) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) gene polymorphisms in tubal pathology (group 1); and (ii) the presence of these gene polymorphisms in C.trachomatis IgG-positive women with and without tubal pathology (group 2). Group 1 consisted of women with (n = 40) or without (n = 95) tubal pathology, respectively, and group 2 of C.trachomatis IgG-positive women of whom 28 had tubal pathology at laparoscopy and 47 did not. IL-1B-511 and IL-1B+3954 gene polymorphisms were assessed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), and the variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) of the IL-1RN gene were assessed by a PCR-based assay. RESULTS: Neither IL-1B-511, IL-1B+3954 nor IL-1RN genotypes, allele or carrier frequencies showed significant association with tubal pathology or C.trachomatis post-infection-based tubal pathology. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained suggest that specific IL-1 gene polymorphisms are not associated with the tubal pathology risk or to the development of C.trachomatis-based post-infectious severe sequelae.