Analysis of Tumor Necrosis Factor -alpha (TNF α) Synthesis in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease with 1% prevalence in the world, in Egypt, the estimated number of patients is about 699,608 patients out of 76,117,421 whole population .RA is a multigenic, clinically heterogeneous disease where both genetic and environmental factors have important roles in pathogenesis Many genes interact to produce the final clinical phenotype (). Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified in the human TNF-α gene promoter and claimed to affect the pathogenesis of RA (The polymorphism at position -308 has been implicated in the regulation of TNF-α transcription. The TNF-α promoter polymorphism at -308 involves a biallelic single-base pair transition from G to A. Generating two different allele TNF1 (G/G) and TNF2 allele which may be heterozygous (G/A) or homozugous (A/A)). Because reports regarding the -308 position polymorphism are contradictory, This SNP was chosen for this study.The aim of this study was to analyze the capacity of TNF-α production by PBMC stimulated with LPS in egyptian patients with early RA (disease duration < 1 yr) and those with long-standing RA (> 1 yr) and to detect the association of -308 TNF-α promoter gene polymorphism and TNF-α production which affects RA pathogenesis and severity.This study includes 45 egyptian persons (15 control, 15 patients with early RA (disease duration < 1 yr) and 15 patients with long-standing RA (> 1 yr). All patients were attending Rheumatology Departments, Faculty of Medicine Zagazig University..