Association of Atherosclerotic Peripheral Arterial Disease with Adiponectin Genes SNP+45 and SNP+276: A Case-Control Study

OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that adiponectin gene SNP+45 (rs2241766) and SNP+276 (rs1501299) would be associated with atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Furthermore, the association between circulating adiponectin levels, fetuin-A, and tumoral necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in patients with atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease was investigated. METHOD Several blood parameters (such as adiponectin, fetuin-A, and TNF-α) were measured in 346 patients, 226 with atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and 120 without symptomatic PAD (non-PAD). Two common SNPs of the ADIPOQ gene represented by +45T/G 2 and +276G/T were also investigated. RESULTS Adiponectin concentrations showed lower circulating levels in the PAD patients compared to non-PAD patients (P < 0.001). Decreasing adiponectin concentration was associated with increasing serum levels of fetuin-A in the PAD patients. None of the investigated adiponectin SNPs proved to be associated with the subjects' susceptibility to PAD (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION The results of our study demonstrated that neither adiponectin SNP+45 nor SNP+276 is associated with the risk of PAD.