IL-6 and TNF-alpha proinflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms could change individual susceptibility to IBS and might have a role in pathophysiology of disease.

Inflammation and mucosal immune system activation have an important role in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), whereas genetic factors can control some immunological mediators. In this study, a number of polymorphic genes coding for T-helper 1, T-helper 2, and T-regulatory cytokines were genotyped in 71 patients with IBS, and the results were compared with controls. IL-4 CC genotype at position -590, IL-4 TT genotype at position -33, and IL-10 GA genotype at position -1082 were significantly overrepresented in the patients with IBS in comparison with controls (P < 0.001). The frequencies of the following haplotypes in the patient group were significantly higher than in the control group: IL-2 (-330, +160) GT haplotype (P = 0.002), IL-4 (-1098, -590, -33) TCC haplotype (P < 0.001), and TCT haplotype (P < 0.001). While production of cytokines could be affected by genetic polymorphisms within coding and promoter regions of cytokine genes, IL-4 and IL-10 gene polymorphisms could affect individual susceptibility to IBS.

Iran has a rich and diverse cultural heritage, consisting of a complex traditional medicine deeply rooted in the history of the territory that goes back to the Assyrian and Babylonian civilizations. The ethnomedical practices that can be identifiable nowadays derive from the experience of local people who have developed remedies against a wide range of diseases handing down the knowledge from generation to generation over the millennia. Traditional medicine practices represent an important source of inspiration in the process of the development of new drugs and therapeutic strategies. In this context, it is useful to determine the state of the art of ethnomedical studies, concerning the Iranian territory, and of scientific studies on plants used in traditional Iranian medicine. Data regarding 245 plants used in Iranian ethnomedical practices and scientific studies conducted on 89 plants collected in the Iranian territory have been reported. All of the scientific studies here reported draw inspiration from traditional medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly called for an intensification of the scientific validation processes of traditional medicines intended as an important contribution to public health in various parts of the world. The process of study and validation of Iranian ethnomedical practices appears to be at an early stage.