Assessment of Human Interleukin-24 Expression in Thalassemic Patients and Investigation of Current Prescription Pattern in Thalassemia

Abstract

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Interleukin (IL)-24 or melanoma differentiation-associated gene-7 (MDA7) belongs to the family of cytokines initially obtained from malignant tissues and manifests itself in various types of cells (of a large size). Thus, they play a crucial part in anemias. The current study aims to analyze the activation and involvement of IL-4 in thalassemia patients. For this purpose, a study population of 50 patients was randomly selected to study the prescription pattern and blood samples for the activation of IL-24 by utilizing the RT-PCR procedure. Extraction of mRNA was followed by cDNA synthesis, further followed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Based on RNA extraction, 31 samples were selected to study the expression of MDA-7 gene in blood samples. Patients were randomly divided into two groups based on the number of transfusions at the time of blood sampling. Group 1 comprised patients with more than 100 transfusions, while Group 2 comprised patients with less than 100 transfusions. Prescription patterns showed the recommendation of approximately the same classes of drugs which are particularly used for thalassemic patients. The findings from gel electrophoresis were analyzed visually. These showed the IL-24 expression in the majority of patients included in Group 1, while no expression was found in individuals included in Group 2. The results revealed the relationship of IL-24 with thalassemia owing to its expression; however, the exact mechanism and contributing factors still remain unknown. Hence, further investigation is needed to rule out the involvement of IL-24 in thalassemia.