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The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2-angiotensin-(1-7)-MAS axis (ACE2-Ang-[1-7]-MAS axis) plays an important role in the control of blood pressure. Some previous studies indicated that the genetic variants of ACE2 may have a potential to influence this axis. Therefore, the present study aimed at examining the association of ACE2 polymorphisms with circulating ACE2 and Ang-(1-7) levels in patients with essential hypertension.Hypertensive patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the present study. Three Tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs2106809, rs4646155, and rs879922) in ACE2 gene were genotyped for all participants. Circulating ACE2 and Ang-(1-7) levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.There were 96 (53.0%) females and 85 (47.0%) males participating in the present study. The circulating Ang-(1-7) levels were significantly greater in female patients carrying the rs2106809 CC or CT genotype compared with those carrying the TT genotype (1321.9 ± 837.4 or 1077.5 ± 804.4 pg/mL vs 751.9 ± 612.4 pg/mL, respectively; P = 0.029, analysis of variance), whereas the circulating Ang-(1-7) levels were comparable among genotypes in male patients. In addition, there was no significant difference in the circulating ACE2 levels among rs2106809 CC, CT, and TT genotype groups in both female and male patients. The circulating ACE2 and Ang-(1-7) levels were related to neither rs4646155 nor rs879922 in female or male patients.In conclusion, the rs2106809 polymorphism of the ACE2 gene may be a determinant of the circulating Ang-(1-7) level in female patients with hypertension, suggesting a genetic association between circulating Ang-(1-7) levels and ACE2 gene polymorphisms in patients with hypertension., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Background: Most of the known actions of angiotensin II are mediated by the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGT1R). The adenine/cytosine(1166) (A/C(1166)) polymorphism of the AGT1R gene has been shown to be associated with hypertension and hypertension-related diseases. Thus, it may have the potential to predict the blood pressure response of patients with hypertension to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs)., Objective: To investigate the association between the A/C(1166) polymorphism and the blood pressure response to ACEIs in a hypertensive cohort., Design and Methods: After a 2-week, single-blind, placebo run-in period, ACEIs were administered for 6 weeks to 509 hypertensive patients. The polymorphism was determined by PCR followed by restriction enzyme digestion., Results: The AA genotype, AC genotype, and CC genotype were present in 464 (91.2%), 44 (8.6%), and 1 (0.2%) of patients, respectively. As the frequency of the C allele was quite low (0.05), the genotypes were classified according to the presence or absence of the C allele. After 6 weeks of treatment, the systolic blood pressure reductions in patients with the AA genotype and AC + CC genotype were 14.3 +/- 12.6 and 14.1 +/- 12.2 mmHg, respectively (P = 0.908). The diastolic blood pressure reductions in patients with the AA genotype and AC + CC genotype were 8.6 +/- 7.1 and 8.8 +/- 6.9 mmHg, respectively (P = 0.816). There were no differences in the changes in systolic or diastolic blood pressure after treatment among the two genotype groups., Conclusion: The AGT1R A/C(1166) polymorphism does not predict the response to antihypertensive treatment with ACEIs in Chinese hypertensive patients.

Background: Aldosterone controls sodium balance and intravascular volume, and thus helps regulate blood pressure. Secretion of aldosterone is mainly regulated at the level of expression of the aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) gene. The intron-2 conversion polymorphism of CYP11B2 was suggested to lead to overexpression of the gene, and may therefore have potential to predict the blood pressure response of patients with essential hypertension to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs)., Objective: To investigate the association between the intron-2 conversion polymorphism and the blood pressure response to ACEIs in a hypertensive cohort., Design and Methods: After a 2-week, single-blind, placebo run-in period, ACEIs were administered for 6 weeks to 509 patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension. The intron-2 conversion polymorphism was examined by polymerase chain reaction., Results: The IwIw genotype was observed in 106 patients (20.8%), the IwIc genotype in 251 patients (49.3%), and the IcIc genotype in 152 patients (29.9%). After 6 weeks of treatment the reductions in diastolic blood pressure were significantly greater in patients carrying IcIc or IwIc compared with IwIw genotypes (9.2 +/- 7.2 or 9.2 +/- 7.1 versus 6.4 +/- 6.6 mmHg, respectively; analysis of variance, P = 0.001). Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that significant predictors of diastolic blood pressure reduction at 6 weeks were baseline diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.001), intron-2 conversion genotype (P = 0.006) and sex (P = 0.030)., Conclusions: The intron-2 conversion polymorphism was related to the diastolic blood pressure lowering response in hypertensive patients treated with ACEIs. Interindividual variation in the efficacy of antihypertensive medications may therefore be influenced by genetic factors.

The purpose of this study was to explore whether dysglycemia, and/or an increased body mass index, and/or an increased waist/hip ratio increased the risk of hypertension in a lean population of South China. The association among dysglycemia, obesity, and hypertension has been well documented in Western populations. A stratified cluster sampling method was used according to the National Diabetes Mellitus Epidemiology Survey Program in 1998. Blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and plasma glucose were measured 2 hours after 75-g oral glucose consumption using the enzymatic method in the morning. Body height, weight, and waist and hip measurements were also collected for the survey. The criteria for the diagnosis of hypertension and diabetes mellitus, including impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), were those published by the World Health Organization in 1999. A total of 11,402 participants were included in the investigation (5,195 men and 6,207 women; age 20 to 74 years). A total of 1,775 cases of hypertension were confirmed in the survey. The prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher in those with diabetes mellitus than in those with a normal blood glucose level, in those with IGT than in those with normal glucose tolerance test findings, and in obese participants than in those with a normal weight (45.5% vs 14.4%, 32.2% vs 14.5%, and 20.6% vs 12.1%, respectively). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that age and gender-adjusted odds ratio of hypertension was 2.24 (95% confidence interval 1.88 to 2.68) with IGT compared with those without IGT. The odds ratio for hypertension associated with an increased body mass index and waist/hip ratio was 1.19 (95% confidence interval 1.17 to 1.21) and 1.08 (95% confidence interval 1.07 to 1.09), respectively. In conclusion, the data from an epidemiologic study in South China demonstrated that dysglycemia and increased body mass index and/or waist/hip ratio increase the risk of hypertension even in a lean Chinese population.