Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: To assess the impact of genetic polymorphisms associated with increased cardiovascular risk on the lipid profile in healthy postmenopausal women.

Methods: The study population consisted of 84 women between 49–69 years who had been menopausal for at least one year. The genetic polymorphisms examined were the following: Glycoprotein IIIa leu33pro, Apolipoprotein E2/E3/E4, Methylenotetrahydrofolate reductase ala222val, Apolipoprotein B arg3500gln, Paraoxonase 1 gln192arg, Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 4G/5G, cholesterol 7 alpha hydroxylase A-204C and cholesterol ester transfer protein (TaqIB) B1/B2 polymorphism. Biochemical markers assessed were the following: Total cholesterol (TC), low-density Lipoprotein (LDL), high-density Lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TGL), Apolipoprotein A (ApoA), Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and Lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)). Written informed consent was obtained by all participants. The local Institutional Review Board has approved the present study.

Results: Cholesterol ester transfer protein (TaqIB) B1/B2 polymorphism associates with low levels of HDL and ApoA (P=0.001, P=0.0001 respectively), while Glycoprotein IIIa leu33pro polymorphism is associated with suppressed levels of ApoB (P=0.019). A statistically significant positive association was observed between Apolipoprotein B arg3500gln polymorphism and levels of total cholesterol (P=0.032) and HDL cholesterol (P=0.048). Additionally, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 4G/5G polymorphism was marginally associated with increased levels of triglycerides (P=0.058).

Conclusions: The presence of certain polymorphisms predisposes postmenopausal women to dyslipidaemia. Cholesterol ester transfer protein (TaqIB) B1/B2 polymorphism favours dyslipidaemia, while Glycoprotein IIIa leu33pro polymorphism has a positive impact on lipid profile in women after menopause. Apolipoprotein B arg3500gln polymorphism associates ambiguously with the lipid profile in postmenopausal women. Further studies are required to elucidate the significance of these genetic polymorphisms with respect to dyslipidaemia in postmenopausal women.