Association of aldosterone synthase gene -344T/C polymorphism with plasma aldosterone and angiotensin II concentration in hypertensive patients

Abstract

To investigate the association of aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) -344T/C polymorphism with plasma renin activity (PRA), and concentrations of angiotensin II (Ang II) and aldosterone (Aldo) in patients with essential hypertension (EH). 421 EH patients, 296 males and 125 females, aged 56.3 +/- 11.2, and 207 sex and aged-matched normotensive subjects were genotyped for the CYP11B2 -344T/C polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. PRA and plasma Ang II and Aldo concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay among 328 EH patients in the supine position and 279 of the 328 subjects in the upright position. No significant difference in genotype and allele frequencies of CYP11B2 -344T/C polymorphism was observed between the EH and normotensive subjects (P = 0.61 and P = 0.34 respectively). In the 328 EH patients undergoing measurement of PRA, Ang II, and Aldo, the plasma Aldo concentration of the TT subjects was 76.8 pg/ml, significantly higher than those of the TC subjects (58.8 pg/ml) and CC subjects (58.8 pg/ml, P = 0.02), after adjustment for age, sex and body mass index. No association was found between the -344T/C polymorphism and PRA and plasma Ang II in the supine position (P = 0.63 and P = 0.28 respectively). However, with similar adjustment applied, the plasma Ang II concentration in the upright position was higher in the CC subjects (85.7 pg/ml) than in the TC subjects (54.6 pg/ml) and TT subjects (51.8 pg/ml. P = 0.02). In the EH patients, CYP11B2 -344T/C polymorphism is associated with plasma Aldo and the plasma Ang II concentration when the patients are in the upright position.