Introduction:

The pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) involves complex interactions between environmental factors, the skin microbiome, epidermal barrier defects, and altered immune responses that develop on a not fully understood specific genetic background.

Aim:

We aimed to evaluate the contribution of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL-35 genes (IL-12A and EBI3) towards AD susceptibility and clinical characteristics of AD in the Polish population. Two SNPs (rs568408, rs582054) in IL-12A and one SNP (rs428253) in EBI3 were selected.

Material and methods:

Blood samples were collected from 202 AD patients and 178 healthy individuals. SNPs in IL-35 genes were analysed by the polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers (SSP-PCR) method.

Results:

For IL-12A rs568408, the AA genotype was significantly linked to increased odds of AD (OR = 34.61; 95% CI: 2.06–579.97, p = 0.0137) and marginally associated with normal total serum IgE levels (OR = 2.82; 95% CI: 0.97–8.16; p = 0.05), while the GA genotype showed significantly reduced odds of AD (OR = 0.53; 95% CI: 0.34-0.81; p = 0.0035). In the context of IL-12A rs582054, TT genotype carriers had increased odds of AD (OR = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.08–3.85; p = 0.03). Patients with the GG genotype of EBI3 rs428253 had decreased odds of high total serum IgE levels (OR = 0.42; 95% CI: 0.20–0.86; p = 0.02) and milder pruritus severity compared to CC genotype carriers (4.12 vs. 7.50; p = 0.02).

Conclusions:

IL-35 genetic variations appear to play a role in AD pathogenesis.