Association studies of genetic polymorphism and environmental factors in ischemic stroke with atherosclerotic middle cerebral artery stenosis

© 2017, ASEAN Neurological Association. All rights reserved.Objectives: Intracranial atherosclerosis, especially the middle cerebral artery (MCA), is the commonest vascular lesion for ischemic stroke the Chinese population. We explored the association of genetic polymorphism and environmental factors in MCA atherosclerosis in the Chinese population. Methods: One hundred fifty-six ischemic stroke patients with MCA stenosis and 181 well-matched ischemic stroke patients without MCA stenosis were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products were analyzed for lipoprotein lipase (LPL) S447X and paraoxonase1 (PON1) Q192R polymorphisms by restriction enzyme digestion. Medical history documentation and investigation of biochemical markers were performed for each subject. Results: Univariate analysis showed that the levels of systolic blood pressure (SBP) were higher in the MCA stenosis group. There were no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of the LPL S447X and PON1 Q192R polymorphism observed between the two groups. But, in the patients above 60 years of age with and without MCA stenosis, LPL X carriers have higher level of SBP than the LPL SS genotype carriers. Multivariate logistic regression found that SBP was the significant, independent predictor of the presence of MCA stenosis patients above 60 years of age (P < 0.001, OR=1.206, 95% confidence intervals: 1.014-1.032). Conclusions: SBP appears to contribute to the pathogenesis of MCA stenosis among Chinese. The gene polymorphism of LPL S447X may be associated with atherosclerotic MCA stenosis in Chinese population.