Investigation the role of PCSk9 and IL-6 genes polymorphism in patients with CVD

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Medical Biotechnology Department, College of Biotechnology, Al-Qasim Green University, Babylon, 51013, Iraq.

Abstract

Objective
Cardiovascular diseases are one of the most important causes of death worldwide. Research has shown that genetic and inflammatory factors play an important role in their occurrence. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of PCSK9 and IL-6 gene polymorphisms with cardiovascular diseases and to evaluate the status of lipid profile and inflammatory markers in affected patients.
Materials and methods
In this case-control study, 90 blood samples were collected from the Shahid Al-Mehrab Medical Center for Cardiac Diseases and Surgery at Marjan Teaching Hospital. The time period of this study was October 2023 to March 2024. Of these, 60 samples were from patients with cardiovascular diseases aged 30 to 70 years and 30 samples were from healthy individuals. Lipid profile including total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, VLDL and HDL were measured. Serum levels of PCSK9 and IL-6 and PCSK9 rs505151 and IL-6 −174G/C polymorphisms were also examined.
Results
The results showed that patients with cardiovascular diseases had a significant increase in total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and VLDL and a significant decrease in HDL compared to the healthy group. Serum PCSK9 levels were significantly higher in patients. This could play a role in lipid metabolism disorders, vascular inflammation and the development of atherosclerosis. Examination of the PCSK9 rs505151 polymorphism showed that the protective GG genotype was less observed in patients and the AG and AA genotypes and the A allele were more observed in patients. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the genotypic distribution of the IL-6 −174G/C polymorphism between the two groups. However, serum IL-6 levels were significantly increased in patients.
Conclusions
The findings of this study suggest that PCSK9 gene polymorphisms may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, while IL-6 acts more as an inflammatory marker than a direct genetic risk factor. These results may be useful in identifying individuals at risk and designing effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Keywords

References

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Agricultural Biotechnology Journal
Volume 18, Issue 2
February 2026
Pages 189-204

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