Prevalence of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (ENOS) gene G894T polymorphism and its association with hypertension: a population-based study with Brazilian women

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertension is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world, accounting for millions of deaths each year. The reduction in the concentration of nitric oxide (NO) produced by the catalysis of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is associated with higher blood pressure (BP) levels. This reduction might be because of genetic polymorphisms. This study investigated the prevalence of the eNOS gene G894T polymorphism in women from northeast Brazil and its association with hypertension. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study included 810 women (aged 19-49 years). Sociodemographic, health, anthropometric, and BP data were collected. Hypertension was defined according to the following criteria: systolic BP ≥ 140 mm Hg, diastolic BP ≥ 90 mm Hg, the regular use of antihypertensive medication, or some combination thereof. Epithelial cells from the cheek mucosa were obtained for DNA extraction. Genotyping was performed via real-time PCR. The measure of association was the prevalence ratio (PR) and its 95% CI as calculated via Poisson regression. Results: The frequencies of the GG, GT, and TT genotypes were 57.1%, 35.7%, and 7.2%, respectively. For each of these genotypes, the prevalence of hypertension in women was 17.9%, 23.6%, and 34.4%, respectively. Relative to the GG genotype, the PRs after adjusting for cofounding factors were 1.24 (95% CI: 0.95-1.61, p = 0.11) for GT and 1.76 (95% CI: 1.16-2.67, p < 0.01) for TT. Conclusions: The T allele of the G894T polymorphisms is associated with hypertension in women. This may have implications for prevention and treatment.

Kang Le Xin Reduces Blood Pressure Through Inducing Endothelial-Dependent Vasodilation by Activating the AMPK-eNOS Pathway

“…Mice genetically deficient in eNOS (eNOS−/−) are hypertensive, indicating the importance of eNOS to blood pressure regulation and vascular homeostasis (Huang et al, 1995). A population-based study with Brazilian women showed that genetic polymorphisms of eNOS was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of hypertension, especially in older age and excess body weight groups, which further illustrated the closed correlation between endothelial eNOS and human hypertension (Neto et al, 2019). Multiple signaling pathways are involved in the regulation of eNOS activity.…”