Objective: To investigate the effect of the polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene D/I on the plasma angiotensin II levels and the risk of chronic heart failure.
Methods: The genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 181 subjects (102 controls and 79 patients with chronic heart failure). The levels of plasma Ang II were also assessed by radio-immunity assay (RIA) in the above subjects.
Results: A marked difference in the plasma Ang II levels was observed among the 3 genotypes (DD, ID and II). The levels of plasma Ang II in DD genotype class were the highest [DD: (65.43+/-26.68), ID: (55.49+/-25.90), II: (46.69+/-23.00); P <0.05, DD vs ID; P <0.01, DD vs II]. The ACE gene I/D polymorphism showed that the levels of Ang I were still affected by the ACE genotype after correcting confounding multifactor by linear regression analysis. There was no difference in genotypes or allele frequencies between the patients and the controls in our study.
Conclusion: The polymorphism of ACE gene D/I is associated with higher plasma Ang II levels in the Chinese. No evidence supports an association between ACE genotype and the diagnosis of chronic heart failure.