OBJECTIVETo observe the association between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphism and risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in Han Chinese.

METHODSThe polymorphism in the ACE and eNOS gene were detected by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, blood pressure (BP), blood lipids, blood glucose (BS), body mass index (BMI) and left ventricle eject fraction (LVEF) were determined 236 patients with CAD and 190 healthy individuals.

RESULTSThe frequencies of DD genotype of ACE were higher and the II genotype were lower in CAD patients than in controls (P < 0.05). CAD patients with DD genotypes were related with higher serum TG, lower HDL-C, higher BS levels, higher BWI and lower LVEF compared to CAD patients with II and ID genotypes of ACE (all P < 0.05), while SBP, DBP, TC and LDL-C levels were similar among CAD patients and controls with different genotypes of ACE (P > 0.05). The genotype distributions of ACE and eNOS were also similar among CAD patients with or without diabetes mellitus/ACS, with single or multiple vessel diseases (P > 0.05). The frequency of GT genotype of eNOS was higher in CAD patients than in controls (P < 0.01) while the frequency of GG genotype in CAD patients and controls was similar (P > 0.05) and eNOS genotypes were not related to TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, BS, BMI, SBP, DBP and LVEF levels among CAD patients and controls (P > 0.05). The risk of suffering from CAD in population with ACE DD genotype is 1.74 times higher than that with II genotype (P < 0.01) and 1.73 times higher in population with eNOS GT genotype than that with GT genotype (P < 0.05). The risk of suffering from CAD is 37.9% with II and GG genotypes and 77.8% with DD and GT genotypes.

CONCLUSIONThe ACE and eNOS genotype polymorphisms were associated with risk of CAD and persons with DD and GT genotypes take higher risk of suffering from CAD.