NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A polymorphism of the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene -- G-765C -- appears to alter prostaglandin biosynthesis in certain asthmatics. This mutation is particularly widespread in women and is associated with more severe asthma, Polish researchers report in the August issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
In fact, lead investigator Dr. Andrzej [Polish for Andrew] Szczeklik told Reuters Health that “gender-dependent expression of this common COX-2 mutation could explain the higher prevalence of many diseases in women--and find a place in prevention.”
Dr. Szczeklik and colleagues at Jagiellonian University School of Medicine, Krakow note that COX products are important mediators of asthma, particularly aspirin-induced asthma (AIA).
To investigate what role COX-2 polymorphisms might have, the researchers genotyped 112 patients with AIA, 198 asthmatics tolerant of aspirin and 547 randomly selected Krakow residents.
The frequency of the G-765C allele was about 0.18 in all groups. However, in asthmatic women, but not in men, compared to controls, there were more than 3 times as many CC homozygotes.
Furthermore, in AIA patients, but not in aspirin-tolerant asthmatics (based on need for oral corticosteroids), CC homozygosity was associated with more severe disease.
The investigators found that production of 2 prostaglandins by monocytes was more than 10 times higher in CC than in GG homozygotes.
“Naturally we are waiting for replication studies confirming our findings,” Dr. Szczeklik added, but he and his colleagues conclude that this polymorphism has “a significant effect on risk and phenotype of asthma in women.”
Source: J Allergy Clin Immunol 2004;114:248-253. [ Google search on this article ]
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