Background: Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors. Aging and gene-environmental interactions are involved in the pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome. The LEPR gene Gln223Arg polymorphism has been associated with energy metabolism and body weight.
Methods: The association of the Gln223Arg polymorphism with metabolic syndrome was evaluated in a case-control study with elderly subjects (> or = 60 years old). The case-control groups were: (1) healthy group (HG), individuals without any cardio-metabolic diseases (CMD) or previous cardiovascular events (n = 64); (2) metabolic disorder group (MD), subjects with at least one metabolic disorder (hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, and impaired glucose tolerance, n = 306); and (3) metabolic syndrome group (MS) (n = 98). The Gln223Arg polymorphism of the LEPR gene was determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using Msp I endonuclease enzyme restriction.
Results: The mean age of the HG subjects was 70.12 +/- 7.7, and the MD and MS subjects were 69.7 +/- 6.4 and 69.68 +/- 5.0 years old, respectively. The MS group showed higher body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels than did the HG individuals. The analysis showed differences in genotype frequencies: reduction in the Gln/Gln genotype and an excess of the Arg/Arg genotype in MD (chi(2) = 7.886, P = 0.019) and MS (chi(2) = 14.941, P = 0.001) when compared to the HG group.
Conclusions: This study provides evidence for a role of the LEPR gene Gln223Arg polymorphism in predisposition to metabolic syndrome in the elderly.