Background: Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) gene signal peptide insertion/deletion (SpIns/Del, I/D) and XbaI polymorphisms have been associated with susceptibility to myocardial infarction (MI). However, the results of studies on this association are still controversial.
Objective and methods: This study explored reports published from 1986 to 2008 regarding the association of ApoB gene SpIns/Del and XbaI polymorphisms with MI. A meta-analysis including 7169 participants from 19 individual studies was performed. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were evaluated by fixed-effect or random-effect models.
Results: A significant relationship between ApoB SpIns/Del gene polymorphism and MI was found under allelic (OR: 1.270, 95% CI: 1.090-1.480, P = 0.002), recessive (OR: 1.360, 95% CI: 1.130-1.630, P = 0.0009), dominant (OR: 1.091, 95% CI: 1.037-1.146, P = 0.001), homozygous (OR: 1.610, 95% CI: 1.330-1.950, P <0.00001) and heterozygous (OR: 1.081, 95% CI: 1.020-1.146, P = 0.009) genetic models. A marginal relationship between ApoB XbaI polymorphism and MI was found under a dominant genetic model (OR: 1.083, 95% CI: 1.004-1.168, P = 0.039). No significant association was detected under other genetic models (P >0.05). However, in the non-European subgroup analysis, increased MI risk emerged under all genetic models (P <0.05).
Conclusion: ApoB SpIns/Del gene polymorphism was positively associated with increased MI risk. D allele and DD genotype carriers might be predisposed to MI susceptibility. The ApoB XbaI gene polymorphism locus had a significant positive association with increased MI risk only in the non-European population. T allele and TT genotype carriers might be susceptible to MI in the non-European population. On the contrary, the ApoB gene XbaI restriction fragment length polymorphism was not associated with increased MI risk in the entire population, particularly in the European population.