Association of interleukin 8 receptor alpha polymorphisms with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are common complex diseases characterized by airflow obstruction and inflammatory processes in the small airways. Interleukin 8 (IL-8) is a potent pro-inflammatory cytokine which interacts with the receptors interleukin 8 receptor α (IL8RA, CXCR1) and interleukin 8 receptor β (IL8RB, CXCR2), leading to activation and migration of leukocytes. In order to evaluate the role of the IL8RA gene in the pathogenesis of COPD and asthma, we screened the coding region of IL8RA for mutations by means of single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis in 50 prob…