Background: Apolipoprotein E polymorphisms have important effects on plasma lipid levels and in the genetic susceptibility to development of cardiovascular diseases. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the association of apolipoprotein E polymorphisms with coronary artery disease and with plasma lipid levels in a group of Mexican Mestizo patients.
Methods: Apolipoprotein E polymorphisms were determined in 156 Mexican patients with coronary artery disease and 200 non-related healthy controls using the restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. The correlation of these polymorphisms with lipid profile (total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides) in the patient group was determined.
Results: A similar distribution of allele and genotype frequencies in coronary artery disease patients and healthy controls was found. Higher serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lower levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose were found in patients with the APOE*2/3 genotype when compared to patients with the APOE*3/4 and APOE*3/3 genotypes, although these differences were not significant.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that genetic variation at the APOE is not a genetic factor related to the genetic susceptibility to coronary artery disease in Mexican individuals, but the role of this polymorphism in determining the lipid profile cannot be excluded.