Background and purpose: Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays a key role in atherosclerosis, because its product, nitric oxide, possesses antiatherogenic properties. Recent reports of molecular genetic analysis have suggested that genetic polymorphisms of the eNOS gene may be associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) or myocardial infarction (MI). However, some studies have reported discrepant results. The aims of this study were to assess whether any association exists between the Glu298Asp variant of the eNOS gene and the risk of CAD and/or MI among Taiwanese.
Methods: The subjects included 218 CAD patients and the same number of age- and sex-matched control subjects from Taiwan. Subjects' DNA was extracted from their blood and genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction mapping using the restriction enzyme MboI. The alleleic and genotypic frequencies were analyzed.
Results: The frequencies of the eNOS genotypes were similar for CAD patients (GG:GT:TT = 81.7%:17.4%:0.9%) and controls (81.2%:17.4%:1.4%; p = 0.904). No evidence of difference was found in the frequency of the T allele between CAD patients (9.6%) and controls (10.1%; p = 0.822), or between MI patients (7.5%) and controls (p = 0.322). Subjects with the GT or TT genotype did not demonstrate an increased risk of CAD compared with those with a GG genotype (p = 0.89; OR = 0.98; 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.76-1.27) in multivariate logistic regression, or when different subgroups of age, sex, or risk factors were analyzed.
Conclusions: In the present case-control study, we found no evidence of an association between the Glu298Asp variant of the eNOS gene and CAD/MI among Taiwanese.