Abstract
Osteoarthritis of the hip exhibits progressive degeneration of articular cartilage frequently resulting in total hip arthroplasty (THA). Expression of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 6 (IL6) is increased in the synovium and articular cartilage of these patients. Furthermore, these cytokines have been shown to have a negative regulatory effect on chondrocyte proliferation and articular cartilage metabolism. We investigated the frequency of a G/C polymorphism at position −174 of the promoter region of the IL-6 gene and a G/A polymorphism at position −308 of the TNF alpha gene, both of which cause increased expression of these cytokines. We observed that the G variant of the IL6 gene was significantly higher in patients who had undergone revision THA compared to controls (P=0.05). It was also elevated in primary THA patients compared to controls. The G/A polymorphism in TNF alpha was not significantly associated with THA; however, this may reflect the lower incidence of this polymorphism in the population. These results suggest that an alteration in cytokine expression produced by the IL6 −174G/C mutation may have a role in the aetiology of osteoarthritis and the outcome of total hip arthroplasty.
The abstracts were prepared by Mr Ray Moran. Correspondence should be addressed to him at the Irish Orthopaedic Association, Secretariat, c/o Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital, Finglas, Dublin
