Genetic variant in glutathione peroxidase 1 gene is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease in a Chinese population.

Background: Glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1), the key antioxidant enzyme in vascular endothelial cells, has been shown to exert a protective effect against the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD). The 198Pro/leu variant, located at codon 198 of GPX1 gene, has recently been linked to cardiovascular disease, but data were inconsistent. We investigated the association between the occurrence of CAD and the 198Pro/leu variant in a Chinese population.
Methods: A total of 265 unrelated CAD patients and 265 age- and sex-matched control subjects were recruited in this study. The GPX1 198Pro/leu genotype was determined using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.
Results: Compared to the 198Pro/Pro carriers, subjects with the variant genotypes (198Pro/leu and 198Leu/leu) had a significantly higher risk of CAD (adjusted OR=2.02, 95%CI=1.27-3.22). In stratified analyses, the variant genotypes were significantly associated with increased CAD risk in subjects <64 y (adjusted OR=2.41, 95%CI=1.16-4.98), males (adjusted OR=1.86, 95%CI=1.09-3.18) and non-smokers (adjusted OR=2.40, 95%CI=1.15-5.01). However, no significant association was observed between this variant and the severity of CAD.
Conclusion: These data provide evidence that GPX1 198Pro/leu variant genotypes are significantly associated with CAD risk in this Chinese population.