Association between Interleukin-6 (-174 G/C and -572 C/G) Promoter Gene Polymorphisms and Risk of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in North Indian Population: A Case Control Study.

Background: Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory cytokine is involved in various vascular pathologies including stroke. Till date, no studies have been reported for the association between IL-6 gene polymorphisms with the risk of Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Objective: The aim of this present case-control study was to investigate the association between IL-6 (-174 G/C and -572 C/G) gene polymorphisms and risk of ICH in North Indian population. Methods: Genotyping was carried out by using SNaPshot method for ICH patients and 100 age-sex matched ICH free controls. Conditional logistic regression analysis with adjusting multiple demographic and risk factor variables was used to calculate the strength of association between IL-6 (-174 G/C and -572 C/G) polymorphisms and risk of ICH. Results: Hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking and low socioeconomic status were found to be associated with the risk of ICH. The distribution of -174 G/C and -572 C/G genotypes was consistent with Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) in the ICH and control subjects. Conditional logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between IL-6 -572 C/G gene polymorphism and the risk of ICH under dominant model (OR=3.7; 95%CI 1.05 to 13.1; p=0.004) and allelic model (OR=2.6; 95%CI 1.1 to 6.2; p=0.01). No significant association was observed for the association between IL-6 -174 G/C gene polymorphism and risk of ICH. Conclusion: Our results suggest that IL-6 (-572 C/G) polymorphism is significantly associated with the risk of ICH in North Indian population. Further prospective studies with large sample size are needed for independent validation.

Neurobiological effect of 7-nitroindazole, a neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, in experimental paradigm of Alzheimer’s disease.

Nitric oxide plays a role in a series of neurobiological functions, underlying behaviour and memory. The functional role of nNOS derived nitric oxide in cognitive functions is elusive. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of specific neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole, against intracerebroventricular streptozotocin-induced cognitive impairment in rats. Learning and memory behaviour was assessed using Morris water maze and elevated plus maze. 7-nitroindazole (25 mg/kg, ip) was administered as prophylactically (30 min before intracerebroventricular streptozotocin injection on day 1) and therapeutically (30 min before the assessment of memory by Morris water maze on day 15). Intracerebroventricular streptozotocin produced significant cognitive deficits coupled with alterations in biochemical indices.These behavioural and biochemical changes were significantly prevented by prophylactic treatment of 7-nitroindazole. However, therapeutic intervention of 7-nitroindazole did not show any significant reversal. The results suggests that 7-nitroindazole can be effective in the protection of dementiainduced by intracerebroventricular streptozotocin only when given prophylactically but not therapeutically.