The -173 G/C polymorphism of the promoter region macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene is not associated with incidence of pulmonary hamartoma.

Hamartomas are the third most common cause of solitary pulmonary nodule and the most common benign tumors of lung. Recent study indicated that hamartoma may be associated with a chronic inflammatory diseases. Histochemical analysis of the expression profile of growth-relevant was shown the upregulation of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in hamartomas and surrounding lung parenchyma. We investigated polymorphism G/C at position -173 promoter gene of MIF, pro-inflammatory cytokine in pulmonary hamartoma. This polymorphism of the MIF gene are association with increased production of MIF and have been found to confer increased risk of susceptibility to chronic inflammatory diseases. DNA samples were obtained from hamartoma tissue fixed with formalin, embedded in paraffin, from 52 patients and from blood samples of 123 sex and age matched healthy person served as control. The G/C polymorphism of MIF gene was determined by PCR-based AluI restriction fragment length polimorphism. The frequencies of the C allele did not differ significantly between pulmonary hamartoma patients and healthy controls (18% vs 15%, OR 1.26 CI95% 0.68-2.40). The obtained results suggest no association between G/C polymorphism at promoter gene of MIF and the incidence of pulmonary hamartoma, but our study has a preliminary character and should be extended on larger population.