Mother's smoking habits affects IL10 methylation but not asthma in Ecuadorian children

AbstractThere is no evidence evaluating the IL10 epigenetic upregulation among mestizochildren in a high-altitude Andean city in Latin America.Objective: To identify polymorphisms and methylation profiles in the IL10 geneassociated with asthma in children aged 5 to 11.Methods: A case–control study was conducted with asthmatic and non-asthmatic children aged 5 to 11 years in Cuenca-Ecuador. Data on allergicdiseases and risk factors were collected through a questionnaire for parents.Atopy was measured by skin prick test (SPT) to relevant aeroallergens. ThreeIL10 single nucleotide polymorphisms were evaluated in all participants, andmethylation analysis was performed in 54 participants. Association betweenrisk factors, allergic diseases and genetic factors were estimated using multi-variate logistic regression.Results: The results of polymorphisms showed no differences between cases andcontrols when comparing the SNPs rs3024495, rs3024496, rs1800896 allelic andgenotypic frequencies. In the methylation analysis, no differences in the IL10methylation profile were found between cases and controls; however, the multi-variate analysis showed an association between the mother's smoking habits andthe IL10 methylation profile.Conclusion: Smoking habit could be essential as an environmental exposure fac-tor in regulating gene expression in children with asthma.