Brief Article
Copyright ©2009 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 28, 2009; 15(44): 5558-5562
Published online Nov 28, 2009. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.5558
Analysis of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 gene polymorphism in patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
Erwin Gäbele, Marcus Mühlbauer, Hartwig Paulo, Monika Johann, Christin Meltzer, Franz Leidl, Norbert Wodarz, Reiner Wiest, Jürgen Schölmerich, Claus Hellerbrand
Erwin Gäbele, Marcus Mühlbauer, Hartwig Paulo, Christin Meltzer, Franz Leidl, Reiner Wiest, Jürgen Schölmerich, Claus Hellerbrand, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Medical Center Regensburg, D-93042 Regensburg, Germany
Monika Johann, Norbert Wodarz, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Regensburg, D-93042 Regensburg, Germany
Author contributions: Gäbele E and Mühlbauer M contributed equally to this study; Hellerbrand C designed the study; Gäbele E collected the data; Mühlbauer M, Paulo H, Johann M, Meltzer C, Leidl F, Wodarz N, Gäbele E, Hellerbrand C, Wiest R and Schölmerich J analyzed and interpreted the data; Gäbele E and Hellerbrand C drafted the article and all other authors revised it critically for important intellectual content; all authors approved the final version.
Correspondence to: Claus Hellerbrand, MD, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Medical Center Regensburg, D-93042 Regensburg, Germany. claus.hellerbrand@klinik.uni-regensburg.de
Telephone: +49-941-9447155 Fax: +49-941-9447154
Received: April 27, 2009
Revised: August 18, 2009
Accepted: August 25, 2009
Published online: November 28, 2009
Abstract

AIM: To investigate a genetic polymorphism of the monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) gene in patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP).

METHODS: MCP-1 genotyping was performed in 23 patients with SBP and 83 cirrhotic control patients with non-infected ascites.

RESULTS: The frequency of carriers of the G-allele was lower in SBP patients but this difference did not reach statistical significance. However, in the subgroup of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (n = 80), carriers of the G-allele were significantly less frequent in SBP-patients (38.1%) than in cirrhotic controls (67.8%, P = 0.021).

CONCLUSION: In patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis, the -2518 MCP-1 genotype AA is a risk factor for the development of SBP.

Keywords: Monocyte chemotactic protein-1; Chemokines; Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis; Polymorphism; Liver cirrhosis