Genetic polymorphisms in Toll-like receptor 3 gene are associated with the risk of hepatitis B virus-related liver diseases in a Chinese population

• TLR3 plays an important role in innate immunity and adaptive immunity.
• TLR3 rs1879026 and rs3775290 polymorphisms in HBV-related patients were examined.
• TLR3 rs3775290 was associated with a decreased risk of CHB, HBV-related LC, and HCC.
• No association was observed between TLR3 rs1879026 and HBV-related liver diseases.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are well known to play a critical role in antiviral and antitumor response. Available evidence has demonstrated that TLRs are implicated in the immunopathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and tumor carcinogenesis. Therefore, we performed the present study to investigate the relationship with TLR3 gene polymorphisms and the risk of HBV-related liver disease in a Chinese population. A total of 623 individuals were included: 172 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, 91 HBV-related liver cirrhosis (LC) patients, 174 HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, and 186 healthy controls. Allelic and genotypic frequencies of TLR3 rs1879026 and rs3775290 polymorphisms were detected by PCR-RFLP and DNA sequencing analysis. Association analysis showed that the TT genotype of TLR3 rs3775290 was associated with a decreased risk for CHB, HBV-related LC, and HCC (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.27–0.99, P = 0.048; OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.14–0.76, P = 0.010; OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.26–0.92, P = 0.027). Nevertheless, a lack of association was found between TLR3 rs1879026 and HBV-related liver diseases. In addition, haplotype analysis revealed that individuals who carried the GT haplotype might have a decreased risk of HBV-related liver diseases. The results indicated that genetic variant in TLR3 gene rs3775290 polymorphisms may be a protective factor for CHB, HBV-related LC, and HCC in the Chinese population.