Association between the Hepatic Lipase Promoter Region Polymorphism (-514 C/T) and the Presence and Severity of Premature Coronary Artery Disease

Background: Hepatic lipase (HL) plays a crucial role in lipid metabolism, but there is debate about whether HL acts in a more pro- or more anti-atherogenic fashion. We aimed to examine the relationship between the -514 C/T polymorphism within the HL gene (LIPC) and the risk of angiographically determined premature coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: Four hundred seventy-one patients with newly diagnosed angiographically documented (≥ 50% luminal stenosis of any coronary vessel) premature CAD were compared to 503 controls (subjects with no luminal stenosis in coronary arteries). A real-time polymerase chain reaction and high-resolution melting analysis was used to distinguish between the genotypes. Results: There was no significant difference in the distribution of -514 C/T genotypes between the 2 groups in the whole population or in the men, but the examined polymorphism was found to be associated with the presence of CAD in the women (p value = 0.029). After the application of a multiple logistic regression model, the minor T allele of the LIPC gene was not found to be independently associated with the presence of CAD either in the total population (adjusted OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.75-1.25; p value = 0.807) or in the women (adjusted OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.59-1.40; p value = 0.650) and in the men (adjusted OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.81-1.64; p value = 0.437) separately. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that there is no relationship between the LIPC -514 C/T and the risk of premature CAD or its severity in patients undergoing coronary angiography.