Association of the G894T Polymorphism of the Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene with Diabetic Foot Syndrome Foot Ulcer, Diabetic Complications, and Comorbid Vascular Diseases: A Turkish Case–Control Study

Abstract

There are controversial results and insufficient knowledge in the literature about the genetics of diabetes mellitus complications in the Turkish population and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphisms may act as a potential modifier of diabetic vascular complications. The objective of this study was to determine the association between eNOS G894T polymorphisms and diabetes-related diseases. A Turkish case-control study was designed. The study was carried out in the Ankara University Hospital. Totally, 97 Turkish patients with diabetic foot ulcers and 102 controls were enrolled. Patients who had not received antimicrobial treatment in the preceding 6 months were included. Diabetic patients with hand and/or foot ulcers resulting from major trauma, such as road traffic accidents, were excluded. The effect of eNOS gene polymorphisms on diabetic complications and comorbid diseases was measured. Regarding eNOS G894T gene polymorphisms, 47.4% of the patients had GG (n = 46), 47.4% (n = 46) had GT, and 5.2% (n = 5) had TT alleles in the diabetes mellitus group, and 47.0% (n = 48), 41.2% (n = 42), and 11.8% (n = 12) had GG, GT, and TT alleles in the control group, respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding the eNOS G894T gene allele ratios. Between groups with and without diabetic complications, a significant difference has only been found in the distribution of alleles in patients with comorbid atherosclerotic heart disease, whose GT-TT alleles were significantly higher than the GG alleles (p = 0.004). G894T polymorphism of eNOS gene was not associated with foot ulcer and diabetic complications, except in the presence of atherosclerotic heart disease.