Role of SNPs of IL6 gene in the incidence and progression of COVID19 patients in Wasit province

Abstract

Background: SARS-coronavirus 2 is the causative of the COVID-19 pandemic. (SARS-COV-2). There is a correlation between illness severity and cytokines of proinflammation such as interleukin-6 (IL-6). The amount of COVID-19 cytokine produced might be affected by polymorphisms in the regulatory areas in genes of cytokine. In this study, an Iraqi population was used to investigate a possible connection between three IL-6 promoter SNPs and COVID-19 susceptibility.
Methods: The goal of this cohort study required the participation of a total of 97 individuals, 52 of whom had been diagnosed with severe COVID-19 and 45 of whom had been diagnosed with intermediate COVID-19. In order to determine the genotypes of three selected SNPs in the promoter region of the IL-6 gene, genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood leukocytes of patients utilizing the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. This was done in order to establish a baseline for future research. These single nucleotide polymorphisms were denoted by the SNP names rs13306435 (T > A), rs2069860 (A > T), and rs2069830 (A > T).
Results: There were no significant changes seen in the genotype or allele distribution of chosen SNPs of IL-6 gene in the promoter region between patients with severe levels of COVID-19 and patients with moderate levels of COVID-19. These SNPs included rs13306435 (-395 T > A), rs2069860 (-632A > T), and rs2069830 (-612A > T).
Conclusion: According to the results of our investigation, these SNPs do not seem to be linked with the severity of COVID-19 in the Arabian community in Iraq.