Polimorfismo Arg16Gly e Gln27Glu do Gene β2-ADR e a sensibilização fúngica associada ao controle e gravidade da asma

Abstract

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lower airways, and is a result of the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Aimed to study polymorphism and Arg16Gly Gln27Glu Gene β2-ADR and fungal sensitization associated with asthma severity and control. It is an observational, analytic case-control study involving asthmatic subjects of the Assistance Program to the Asthmatic Patient - APAP, in the Presidente Dutra University Hospital, Maranhão, Brazil. Eighty-three asthmatic patients and 46 non-asthmatic controls were included in the study. PCR-RFLP genotyping of the β2AR-16 and β2AR-27 genes, and fungal-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were made in two 5 ml blood samples collected from the participants. Control data were gathered from the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) and clinical data from the medical records. The analysis of the polymorphism has not demonstrated association between the asthma control status and the β2AR-16 and β2AR-27 genes. There was statistically significant difference (p < 0,05) between asthmatics and non-asthmatics, with higher expression (74%) of the Glu allele in non-asthmatic subjects. The Glu/Glu homozygote was also more frequent between non-asthmatics, and it suggests that the Glu-27 allele might be associated with a lower risk to develop asthma. Regarding fungal sensitization, there wasn't significant association with the studied genotypes. The study demonstrated that severe asthmatics are more sensitized than non-asthmatics and moderate asthmatics. There wasn't statistically significant difference between asthma control and fungal sensitization; nevertheless, there was significant association with the severity level. Isolated associations between fungal sensitization and asthma, as well as associations between polymorphisms and asthma were evident in this study.