Circulating MCP-1 level and ∼2518 gene polymorphism as a marker of nephropathy development in Egyptian patients

ObjectiveMonocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a member of CC chemokine that plays an important role in the recruitment of monocytes/macrophages into renal tubulointerstitium. A biallelic A/G polymorphism at position ∼2518 in the MCP-1 gene was found to regulate MCP-1 expression. MCP-1 and its A/G gene polymorphism have been implicated in the pathogenesis of some renal diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of circulating MCP-1 level and the relevance of functional genetic variations of MCP-1 as early predictors of the development of glomerulonephropathy (GN) in Egyptian patients.MethodsThis is a case control study that was conducted in 50 GN patients, 20 non-GN cases and 20 ethnically matched healthy controls. MCP-1 serum level was detected by ELISA technique, while genotyping of polymorphisms in the MCP-1 genes was performed using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) detection.ResultsHigh MCP-1 circulating levels and subsequently MCP-1 ∼2518G polymorphism are associated with the developing of nephropathy irrespective to the underlying etiology. MCP-1 serum level was significantly high when compared with healthy controls (P = 0.0007) and non-GN cases (P = 0.01). There was predominance of A allele at ∼2518 of MCP-1 gene in healthy controls (87.5%) and non-GN cases (77.5%). The frequency of the ∼2518G MCP-1 polymorphism was significantly higher in GN patients than in healthy controls (P < 0.0001; OR = 15.6) and non-GN cases (P < 0.0001; OR = 7.7). Interestingly, homozygosity for G allele plays the main role in such association.ConclusionA/G polymorphism in MCP-1 gene and subsequently high circulating MCP-1 level confer a relevant role in the susceptibility to the development of nephropathy in the Egyptian population denoting that MCP-1 system could be an early predictor of such renal complication.