The Association of MCP-1 Level and MCP-1 -2518 A/G and CCR2 190 G/A Gene Polymorphisms with COPD and Pulmonary Hypertension

Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by obstructed airflow in the lungs. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a common complication of COPD and it is associated with pulmonary vascular remodelling. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2) is one of the key chemokines associated with migration of monocytes and macrophages. Both MCP-1 and its receptor CCR2 have been declared to be involved in various diseases. We aimed to research a possible association of MCP-1 level, MCP-1-2518 A/G and CCR2 190 A/G polymorphisms with COPD and pulmonary hypertension in this study. Material and methods: Eighty patients and eighty controls were included in the study. Serum MCP-1 levels were measured by ELISA method. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) procedure was used to detect the genotypes of patients and control group. Results: MCP-1 levels were found to be significantly higher in COPD patients than in healthy controls (P=0.001) and patients with COPD + PH had higher serum MCP-1 levels than COPD patients (P=0.005). No association was found between MCP-1/CCR2 gene polymorphisms and patient groups (COPD and COPD + PH). Conclusion: MCP-1 level seems to be associated with both COPD and pulmonary hypertension. Increased MCP-1 expression may most likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases.