Background: There is little data on the genetic determinants of asthma in Cameroon and Central Africa, yet the involvement of genetics in the pathogenesis of this disease has been reported in the literature for several years. This study aimto investigate the possible role of MCP-1 2518 for the risk of asthma in Cameroonians.
Methods: We performed a case control study on 30 volunteers suffering from asthma, matched by aged and sex to 30 healthy subjects. We determine the polymorphism of MCP-1 2518 using restriction fragment length polymorphism following Polymerase Chain Reaction (RLFP-PCR). Fisher exact test was used to compare proportions, with a threshold of significance set at 0.05.
Result: The average age of cases was 21 ± 10 years with 17 (56.7%) females. The distribution of the MCP-1-2518 (A> G) gene polymorphism in asthmatic was as follows: 3 for AA, 5 for GG, 22 for AG. The minor allele G was the most common in asthmatics (90%), it was significantly associated with asthma for heterozygous AG (p<0.01) and homozygous GG (p<0.01).
Conclusion: MCP-1-2518 (A>G) is a potential predisposing factor for asthma in Cameroonians. Future larger studies evaluating several polymorphisms are needed to describe the genetic determinants of asthma in Cameroon and Central Africa.
Key words: Asthma, Cameroonians, genetics, MCP-1.