Association of Interleukin-18 (IL-18) gene expression with some serum parameters in a sample of patients with chronic kidney disease

Abstract

IL-18 is a cytokine, which is a type of protein that helps regulate the immune system and inflammatory responses in the body. a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has garnered attention for its potential role in the progression of CKD. Aim the aim of study to evaluated level of Interleukin-18(IL-18), urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphate compared with control and study correlation between them. In addition, estimation of Fold of Interleukin-18. Methods the research involved 100 individuals from Iraq, divided into two groups. The first group for CKD patients(n:50), The second group (n:50) serving as the control. Participants were recruited from the dialysis center at Madinat Al-Amamin Al-Kadhim in Teaching Hospital in Baghdad between October 2023 and February 2024. Results the Kidney function tests showed higher urea and creatinine levels in CKD patients (76.58±45.90, 5.07±5.11) compared to controls (26.04±5.12, 0.33±0.12). In CKD patients, mean ± SD of K, Cl, and PO4 rose (4.62±0.81, 106.90 ± 5.63, and 4.91 ± 1.14) at p-value <0.001. Na levels was similar between CKD patients (137.70±3.71) and controls (138.4±3.02) at p-value >0.05. Increased mean ± SD of Interleukin-18 Conc. (112.22 ± 100.96) at p-value <0.05. The calculated fold expression ratios for the gene were 1.48 in CKD patients and 1.00 in control. The expression of the IL-18 gene showed highly significant differences (p<0.001) in CKD patient group when compared to control group. Conclusion: IL-18 demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity. Because it is not dependent on several non-renal parameters.