Lack of association of interleukin-10 promoter region polymorphisms with Alzheimer's disease

There is increasing evidence that immune mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recently, polymorphisms of the interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6 genes were found to be associated with late-onset AD. The immunoregulatory IL-10 downregulates synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1. Current evidence suggests that some polymorphisms in the IL-10 promoter may have functional effects on IL-10 transcription. A total of 406 German AD patients (mean age 70.2 +/- 10.0 years, range 50-95 years, 42% female) and 251 unrelated non-demented control subjects (mean age 66.8 +/- 10.6 years, range 50-93 years, 38% female) were investigated for the presence of three polymorphisms in the IL-10 promoter region (-1087A/G, - 824C/T, - 597C/A). No significant differences in the allelic distribution of the analyzed IL-10 polymorphisms have been found between AD patients and controls. We conclude that polymorphisms in the IL-10 promoter region do not increase the risk of developing AD. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.