Relationship of apolipoprotein E polymorphism with lipid profiles in atherosclerotic coronary artery disease

Abstract

The aim was to determine the relation of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene polymorphism with lipid profile in patients with coronary artery diseases (CAD) and its role in prediction of the severity of carotid and coronary atherosclerosis. One hundred patients were classified by coronary angiography: 80 patients with CAD and 20 controls (normal coronary angiography). Clinical data, carotid sonography, blood lipid profiles and ApoE genotyping (PCR-RFLP) were assessed. CAD patients had significantly increased in plasma lipid profiles and carotid intimal-wall thickness (IMT) versus controls. In CAD patients, ApoE genotypes frequencies were E3/E3 = 62.50%, E2/E3 = 18.75%, E3/E4 = 17.50%, E2/E4 = 1.25%, E4/E4 = 0.0% and E2/E2 = 0.0%. But, E3/E4 genotype was significantly higher than controls ( p < 0.05). Also, in CAD patients, ApoE alleles frequencies were E3 = 80.6%, E2 = 10.0% and E4 = 9.4% but, ApoE4 alleles was associated with higher cholesterol ( p < 0.05) and LDL-c ( p < 0.01), while ApoE2 alleles was associated with higher triglycerides ( p < 0.05) versus ApoE3 alleles. However, odds ratio of CAD patients had higher risk with E2/E3 genotypes (2.5-fold), E2 alleles (2.2-fold) and E4 alleles (2.1-fold). Moreover, CAD patients with ApoE4 alleles had significantly higher percentage of carotid IMT (1.23 ± 0.26 mm vs 1.10 ± 0.40 mm ApoE2; vs 0.97 ± 0.2 mm ApoE3 alleles; p = 0.006) and left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery stenosis (vs ApoE2 and ApoE3 alleles; p = 0.016). Ischemic patients with carotid and coronary atherosclerosis had significantly higher integration of dyslipidemia and ApoE alleles (ApoE2 with hypertriglyceridemia and ApoE4 with hypercholesterolemia and higher LDL-c). ApoE polymorphism may be important as diagnostic risk biomarker and may implicate therapeutic intervention in atherosclerotic ischemic patients.