Serum Level of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Its Gene Polymorphisms Has No Association with Susceptibility to Celiac Disease in Iranian Population

Background: TNFα is an important cytokine in celiac disease which causes the destruction of the intestinal tissue. It has been shown that polymorphisms in the promoter region of the TNFα gene increase its expression. In this study we investigated the -1031 C/T and -376 G/A gene polymorphisms of TNFα gene and also its serum level in Iranian celiac patients compared to healthy controls. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 104 newly diagnosed celiac disease and 102 healthy control were recruited during 2016. The DNA was extracted from peripheral blood. Specific primer pairs were designed and TNFα polymorphisms was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). For confirmation of finding some samples were randomly sequenced. Also to determine the serum concentration of TNFα the ELISA method was used. Result: The mean age of cases and control was 32, 33 years respectively. No significant difference was observed between CD patients and healthy controls regarding -1031 C / T and -376 G / A gene polymorphisms (for -376 G/A; p= 0.8 and for -1031 C/T; p=0.35 respectively). Also there was no significant difference in serum level of TNFα between celiac patients and healthy subjects (p= 0.18). Conclusion: According to our results, it seems that the TNF-α (-1031 C/T, -376 G/A) gene polymorphisms in combination with serum level may not be associated with the risk of celiac disease.