A Study on the Association between Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Gene Polymorphism and Sasang Constitution in Cerebral Infarction

Objective: Tumor necrosis factor-a $(TNF-{\alpha})$, a potent immuno-modulator and pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been implicated in many pathological processes. In this study, the author examined whether promoter region polymorphism in the $TNF-{\alpha}$a gene at position-308 affect the odds of cerebral infarction (CI) and whether genetic risk is enhanced by sasang constitutional classification. Methods: 212 CI patients and 610 healthy controls were genotyped and determined according to sasang constitutional classification. The amplified genotypes were analyzed on $8\%$ polyacrylamide gel. The alleles were visualized by ethidium bromide staining. Primers for $TNF-{\alpha}$ were designed to incorporate a polymorphic site at a position -308 bp of the $TNF-{\alpha}$ gene into an NcoI restriction site. Restriction digests generated products of 87 and 20 bp for G allele and 107 bp for A allele. Results : A significant decrease was found for the $TNF-{\alpha}$ A allele in CI patients compared with controls (P=0.033, odds ratio, O.R.: 0.622). However, there was no significant association between $TNF-{\alpha}$ polymorphism and sasang constitution in CI patients. Conclusion: My finding suggests that $TNF-{\alpha}$promoter region polymorphism is responsible for susceptibility to CI in Koreans.