Association between the polymorphism of estrogen receptor α and coronary artery disease in a Chinese population.

Background: The role of estrogen receptor α (ERα) polymorphism in coronary artery disease (CAD) was investigated previously in several populations. There are few data on relation between ERa polymorphism and CAD in Chinese population. Our study was to investigate the possible association between ERα polymorphism and CAD in Chinese population.

Methods: A total of 539 patients with CAD and 539 age and sex matched controls were examined for ERa polymorphism. DNA was obtained and ERa polymorphism was analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).

Results: The frequencies of the PvuII C allele were significantly higher in CAD patients than in control individuals (P<0.05). Using T allele as a reference, the odds ratio for CAD patients with C allele was 1.24 (95%CI=1.03-1.48). Using TT genotype as a reference, the odds ratio for TC genotype was 1.17 (95%CI=0.90-1.50), and for CC genotype was 1.58 (95%CI=1.05-2.38). The odds ratio for CC genotype was 1.42 (95%CI=0.94-2.15) in women and 1.72 (95%CI=1.41-2.10) in men. There were no significant differences in XbaI allele and genotype between CAD patients and control individuals.

Conclusions: The ERa PvuII polymorphism is associated with the increased risk of CAD in men of a Chinese population. Further research is needed to investigate the mechanism underlying the association between ERα polymorphism and CAD.