Background: Genetic polymorphisms of beta3-adrenergic receptor (AR) Trp64Arg and beta2-AR Gln27Glu may result in significant change in the functions of these receptors. The aims of the present study were to investigate the association between Trp64Arg, Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu polymorphisms and the susceptibility to obesity and hypertension in a Chinese population.
Methods: A total of 437 Chinese subjects including 149 obese hypertensive patients, 139 non-obese essential hypertensive patients, and 149 non-obese normotensive healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and allele-specific (AS)-PCR assays were used to identify Trp64Arg, Arg16Gly, and Gln27Glu genotypes.
Results: The allele frequencies of 64Arg and 27Glu in the obese hypertensive group were 0.178 and 0.128, respectively. Both were significantly higher than in the non-obese hypertensive and the control groups (p<0.05). Further analysis showed that this association existed only in male hypertensive patients.
Conclusions: These data reveal that frequencies of beta3-AR 64Arg and beta2-AR 27Glu were significantly higher in our obese hypertensive patients than in the non-obese hypertensive population and healthy controls. beta3-AR Trp64Arg and beta2-AR Gln27Glu genetic polymorphisms are associated with obesity in Chinese male hypertensive patients.