Secretion of interleukin-1beta by astrocytes mediates endothelin-1 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha effects on human brain microvascular endothelial cell permeability.
In order to further define the clinical impact of genetic variation in this potent proinflammatory pathway we investigated the joint effects of two single nucleotide polymorphisms in the interleukin-1 beta gene [IL-1B(-511) and IL-1B(+3954)] and a variable number tandem repeat polymorphism in intron 2 of the interleukin 1 receptor antagonist gene (IL-1RN VNTR) on postintervention inflammation and occurrence of restenosis in 183 consecutive patients who underwent successful femoropopliteal PTA.