Interleukin-37 Gene Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Patient Susceptibility to Hepatitis B and C Infection

The study was carried out in Anbar from September to December 2022 with the aim of identifying genetic variations in the IL-37 subunit gene among persons with chronic hepatitis. We investigated the correlation between the impact of IL-37 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and hepatitis B and C virus infections. The four-arm primer approach was employed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a cohort consisting of 90 patients and 100 healthy controls from the Iraqi population. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the IL-37 gene were determined through genotyping. Patients exhibited significantly higher frequencies of the rs2708967 G allele and GG genotype in comparison to controls. On the other hand, the rates of the A allele and AA genotype were comparatively lower, while the frequencies of the AG genotype were same. The patients demonstrated markedly elevated frequencies of the T allele and TT genotype compared to the controls. In addition, they exhibited markedly reduced frequencies of the C allele and CC genotype compared to the control group. The frequencies of CT genotypes, allele A, and AG and AA frequencies for the rs3811047 SNP did not show any significant differences in patients compared to controls. Our work indicates that mutations in the IL-37 gene are responsible for the genetic risk factors that contribute to the high occurrence of HBV and HCV infections in the Iraqi population.