Bachground: Endometriosis is a disease of female genital system, which is defined by the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. IL-8 is an autocrine growth factor in the endometrium that contributes to the pathogenesis of endometriosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between -251T/A polymorphism in the IL-8 gene and endometriosis risk in Iranian population.
Materials and Methods: This case-control study was performed on 100 endometriosis patients and 100 healthy individuals. The IL-8 -251T/A genotypes were determined using PCR-RFLP method. The association between genotypes of the -251T/A polymorphism and the endometriosis risk was examined by use of odds ratios (OR) and 95% of confidence intervals (CIs).
Results: No statistically significant associations were observed between IL-8 -251 variants and the risk of endometriosis development (&chi2: 1.02, P: 0.63). In addition, subgroup analysis according to severity of disease, were unable to identify any association between IL-8 -251T/A polymorphism and endometriosis (P>0.05), and there was no significant association between IL-8 -251T/A and the severity of endometriosis.
Conclusions: This is the first study regard to association of -251T/A polymorphism with endometriosis risk. Our results indicate that the presence of the -251T/A polymorphism in IL-8 gene is not associated with the risk of endometriosis.