Abstract

Genetic variants of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) could influence individual susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD) with or without associated demographic factors. The aim of this study was to assess whether Glu²⁹⁸/Asp polymorphism of the eNOS gene is associated with the occurrence and severity of angiographycially defined coronary artery disease. Polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analyses were carried out to detect the Glu²⁹⁸/Asp variant of the eNOS gene in 279 patients with CAD as compared to controls (250). The prevalence of the Asp²⁹⁸ variant of eNOS was not found to be significantly and independently associated with the risk of CAD (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.77 to 1.51, P = 0.663), extent of CAD on angiography (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.63 to 2.23, P = 0.605) and in-hospital mortality (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.29 to 4.04, P = 0.908). This investigation examined whether the Glu²⁹⁸/Asp polymorphism of the eNOS could represent a useful genetic marker to identify individuals prone to the development of atherosclerotic diseases. More studies are needed to confirm whether the Glu²⁹⁸/Asp polymorphism of the eNOS gene could represent a useful genetic marker to identify individuals of the study population prone to the development of atherosclerotic disease.

Key words: eNOS gene, polymorphisms, coronary artery disease (CAD), risk factors, genetic markers.