The Polymorphism in Aldehyde Dehydrogenase-2 Gene Is Associated with Elevated Plasma Levels of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein in the Early Phase of Myocardial Infarction

The Polymorphism in Aldehyde Dehydrogenase-2 Gene Is Associated with Elevated Plasma Levels of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein in the Early Phase of Myocardial Infarction

YUAN BIAN,^1,2 YU-GUO CHEN,¹ FENG XU,¹ LI XUE,^1,2 WEN-QING JI^1,2 and YUN ZHANG^2,3

¹Department of Emergency, Qilu Hospital affiliated Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
²Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research Affiliated to Ministry of Education of the P.R.China and Ministry of Health of the P.R.China, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
³Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital affiliated Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China

Aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) is a key enzyme of alcohol metabolism, catalyzing the conversion of aldehyde to acetic acid. The G-to-A polymorphism in exon 12 of the ALDH2 gene, which causes Glu-to-Lys substitution at codon 504, has been shown to be an independent risk factor for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We investigated the possible role of the G-to-A polymorphism in the severity of the myocardial damage in the early phase of AMI by measuring plasma levels of inflammatory markers, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). A total of 226 Han Chinese patients with AMI were divided into two groups: subjects without A allele (GG, n = 144) and subjects with A allele (GA and AA, n = 82), and the blood samples were collected within 12 hours after the onset of AMI. The results displayed that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was higher in GG group than that in GA and AA group (p < 0.05). The body mass index (BMI) and the concentration of hs-CRP were lower in GG group than that in GA and AA group (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that subjects with the A allele were at an increased risk for the high level of hs-CRP (> 3 mg/L) compared with those with GG genotype (OR = 4.908, 95% CI = 1.57~20.98). Thus, the A allele in ALDH2 gene is associated with the elevated plasma levels of hs-CRP after the onset of AMI, suggesting a higher susceptibility of the myocardium to ischemic injuries.

keywords —— aldehyde dehydrogenase-2; high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; inflammatory response; soluble CD40 ligand; acute myocardial infarction

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Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2010, 221, 107-112

Correspondence: Yu-guo Chen, Department of Emergency, Qilu Hospital affiliated Shandong University, 250012 Jinan, Shandong, China. Yun Zhang, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital affiliated Shandong University, 250012 Jinan, Shandong, China.

e-mail: bianyuan9307@msn.com