Lack of association between eNOS gene polymorphisms and ischemic heart disease in the Spanish population.

Through the nitric oxide (NO) production in the vascular system, the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS or NOS3) is a key enzyme in blood pressure regulation and atherosclerosis control. Several previous studies have suggested an important role of eNOS as a genetic risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In this context, a genetic association study was carried out between two eNOS polymorphisms (the ecNOS4a/b VNTR and the G894T substitution) in a sample of 101 nuclear families having one affected offspring of ischemic heart disease (IHD).