The relationship between TNF alpha gene polymorphisms (− 238/− 308), TNF RII VNTR (p75) and outcomes of hepatitis B virus infection in Tunisian population

• TNF-α play a pivotal role in HBV clearance and/or the outcomes of HBV infection.
• Minor allele of TNF-α associated with aggravation of HBV infection.
• TNF-α − 238, − 308 and VNTR TNF RII play a role in the prediction of disease developing.
• Minor alleles of each SNP are a risk factor of developing HCC in Tunisia.
• GG genotypes of both SNPs are a protector factor against of HBV infection.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the association between Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection and polymorphisms of tumour necrosis factor alpha TNF-α − 308 G > A, TNF-α − 238 G > A and TNF RII VNTR (p75) gene promoter in a Tunisian population. Blood samples were collected from 100 Tunisian patients with HBV infection, 45 with Chronic Hepatitis (CH), 36 with Liver Cirrhosis (LC), 15 with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) and 200 healthy individuals of similar ethnicity. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes. Genotyping of the analysed polymorphisms was performed using Amplified Refractory Mutation System-Polymerase Chain Reaction (ARMS-PCR), Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) and Variable Number Tandem Repeat PCR (PCR-VNTR). The variant homozygotes − 308 GG were associated with 50% decreased risk of HBV chronic infection (GG vs AA + GA; p = 0.010; OR = 0.50; 95%CI = 0.29–0.85). However, the carriers of minor allele − 308 A have higher risk (1.5 times) to develop a chronic infection than other patients (p = 0.027; OR = 1.46; 95%CI = 1.04–2.06). The minor allele of − 238 polymorphism was positively associated with virus resistance and the development of chronic infection (p = 0.043; OR = 1.42; 95%CI = 1.01 1.99). The distribution of − 308, − 238 and TNF RII VNTR (p75) among the three groups differed significantly. For HCC groups, there were statistically significant differences in allele distribution in − 308, − 238 respectively in which A allele remains a risk factor for HBV evolution to HCC (p = 0.008 and p = 0.026). Haplotype analysis revealed that TNF-α (− 308A; − 238A) was significantly associated to HBV chronic infection and moreover to disease aggravation to HCC stage. Our findings imply that variations in the genes governing the levels of constitutive and inducible TNF-α and TNF RII might be an important risk factor, which could explain the variable outcomes of HBV infection.