Abstract

Introduction: Although acute pancreatitis is usually mild, it is severe in 15-20% of patients. Nitric oxide (NO) is formed due to the expression of the Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthetase (INOS) gene, which is essential in inflammatory events. This study investigated the relationship between acute pancreatitis and the INOS gene rs2297518 polymorphism and whether it is a risk factor in acute pancreatitis.
Method: In this case-control study, INOS gene polymorphism was analyzed through the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method in 99 individuals with acute pancreatitis and 99 healthy. The real-time PCR reaction was conducted using the LightCycler 480 (Roche) device, followed by End Point Analysis to identify the rs2297518 polymorphism alleles and genotypes. This analysis determined the alleles (A/G) and genotypes (GG, GA, AA).
Results: Although no significant difference could be found in the general study population when patients carrying the INOS gene rs2297518 polymorphism A allele or AA genotype were compared with patients with G allele or GG genotype (OR=1.57 95% 0.98-2.50, p=0.06 and OR=2.96 95% 0.88-9.98, p=0.08, respectively) males carrying the A allele and the GA genotype were at a significantly increased risk of developing acute pancreatitis (OR=2.41; 95% 1.07-5.41, p=0.03, OR =2.9; 95% 0.99-8.47, p=0.05).
Conclusion: The INOS gene rs2297518 polymorphism, specifically the A allele and GA genotype, is associated with an increased risk of acute pancreatitis in male patients.

Key words: Acute Pancreatitis, INOS gene, PCR