J Korean Diabetes Assoc.  2005 May;29(3):181-188.

The Association of Interleukin-6 Gene Promoter Region Polymorphism G174C with Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Women

• Rhee EJ
• Lee WY
• Kim SY
• Oh ES
• Baek KH
• Oh KW
• Kang MI
• Kim SW

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Interleukin(IL)-6 is a cytokine that is produced from immune cells and adipose tissue. It is thought to be a factor to explain the link between insulin resistance and inflammation, and it is also thought to be involved in glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism. We observed the frequency of the G174C polymorphism in the IL-6 gene promoter region in Korean women and we investigated the association of fasting glucose, insulin resistance indices and metabolic syndrome.
METHODS
Measurements of the blood pressure, body fat, fasting glucose, insulin, lipid profiles and anthropometric measurements were done for 268 Korean women(mean age 51.4yrs, range 37~73yrs). Homeostasis model assessement(HOMA) and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index(QUICKI) were calculated and the presence of metabolic syndrome was assessed according to ATP III criteria. Genotyping was done with the PCRRFLP method on the blood samples of the participants.
RESULTS
The allele frequencies were 0.965 for the G allele and 0.035 for the C allele, and they were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium(P=0.50). The fasting insulin level and HOMA were significantly higher and the QUICKI was significantly lower in the C allele carriers compared with non-carriers. Although the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was not significantly different according to the different genotypes, among the individual components, the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was significantly higher in the C allele carriers compared with the non-carriers. There were no differences in the prevalence of normoglycemia, fasting hyperglycemia and provisional diabetes according to the different genotypes.
CONCLUSION
The G174C polymorphism in The IL-6 promoter region was not frequently observed in Korean women. The insulin resistance indices were higher in the C allele carriers compared with the non-carriers. Although the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was not associated with the polymorphism, the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was higher in The C allele carriers, suggesting that it is possibile for candidate gene of insulin resistance

Keyword

Interleukin-6; Insulin resistance; Metabolic syndrome; Promoter; Genetic polymorphism

MeSH Terms

Adenosine Triphosphate
Adipose Tissue
Alleles
Blood Pressure
Fasting
Female
Gene Frequency
Genotype
Glucose
Homeostasis
Humans
Hyperglycemia
Hypertriglyceridemia
Inflammation
Insulin Resistance*
Insulin*
Interleukin-6*
Lipid Metabolism
Metabolism
Polymorphism, Genetic
Prevalence
Promoter Regions, Genetic*
Adenosine Triphosphate
Glucose
Insulin
Interleukin-6