Angiotensinogen Gene M235T and T174M Polymorphisms in Diabetic Nephropathy in a Bangladeshi Population

Background: Marker gene polymorphisms linked with the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) have been broadly studied in diabetic nephropathy (DN) patients considering that RAAS is a potential drug target to slow down kidney disease progression. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine the link between M235T and T174M variants of angiotensinogen (AGT) gene and DN. Methods: A total of 93 patients with DN, mean age of 56±8 years, systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 141±14, and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 84±7 mm Hg (mean±SD) were investigated, among whom 59 patients had a family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus. A total of 96 healthy subjects served as the control group with no family history of diabetic nephropathy (FHDN) and type 2 diabetes mellitus, a mean age of 47±10 years, SBP of 126±11, and DBP of 76±6 mm Hg. PCR–restriction fragment length polymorphism was employed for genotyping M235T and T174M molecular variants. Results: Genotype frequencies of the variants M235T (χ2=2.038, P=0.361) and T174M (χ2=2.952, P=0.229) did not show any statistically significant association with type 2 diabetic nephropathy (T2DN) compared to the control. Based on FHDN and family history of diabetes mellitus (FHDM), the frequency of genotypes of M235T marker (P=0.360) in FHDN, and (P=0.886) FHDM; T174M marker (P=0.641) in FHDN, and (P=0.425) FHDM also did not show any statistically significant association with T2DN compared to the controls. Conclusion: M235T and T174M variants were not associated with DN in a Bangladeshi population.