Association between the apelin rs2235306 gene polymorphism and metabolic syndrome

Aim: The rs2235306 of apelin polymorphism has been shown to be associated with fasting plasma glucose levels and hypertension. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of the apelin rs2235306 gene polymorphism on the risk of metabolic syndrome (MeS) in a sample of the Iranian population. Materials and methods: This population-based cross-sectional study was performed on 151 subjects with MeS and 149 without MeS, as defined by ATPIII criteria. Apelin rs2235306 polymorphism detection was done using the tetra amplification refractory mutation system–polymerase chain reaction. Because the apelin gene is located on the X chromosome, statistical analyses were conducted in a sex-specific manner. Results: Our findings proposed that the apelin rs2235306 polymorphism was not associated with MeS susceptibility in the codominant, dominant, and recessive inheritance models tested (OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.51–1.71 for TC vs. TT; OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 0.70–8.16 CC vs. TT; OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.62–1.93 for TC+CC vs. TT; and OR = 2.45, 95% CI = 0.73–8.21 for CC vs. TT+TC). We found that the apelin TC+CC genotypes were associated with lower HDL-cholesterol in women without MeS. Conclusion: Our findings indicated no association between the apelin rs2235306 polymorphism and MeS. However, the results suggest that healthy females carrying apelin TC+CC genotypes have lower HDL-cholesterol in comparison with those carrying TT, which remains to be confirmed.