Polymorphisms in PPARG and APOE: relationships with lipid profile of adolescents with cardiovascular risk factors

Background: Cardiovascular diseases constitute the main death cause worldwide resulting from a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors, and the prevalence among younger individuals has increased. It is important to early identify changes in lipid profile and the influence of genetic variations in specific genes on the individual patterns of lipid profile. Thus, the aim of this study was to verify the relationship of polymorphisms in PPAR-gamma gene (PPARG − rs1801282 − Pro12Ala) and in apolipoprotein E gene (APOE − rs429358 + rs7412, determinants of the APOE2, APOE3, or APOE4 genotypes) with lipid profile of adolescents under cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with 115 adolescents aged 10–19 years, which presented cardiovascular risk factors. The students were evaluated regarding socioeconomic, anthropometric, biochemical, genetic, and dietetic variables. Student’s t test or Mann-Whitney test were applied to the analysis of the genotypes. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the variables that most influenced the lipid profile. Results: Adolescents carrying PPARG Ala allele showed higher serum triglycerides (p = 0.0423) and very low-density lipoprotein (p = 0.0410) levels when compared to those carrying the wild genotype. For the APOE polymorphism, it was observed a trend of higher triglycerides (p = 0.0712) and very low-density lipoprotein (p = 0.0758) levels in the adolescents carrying the E4 allele when compared to those who did not carry this allele. Conclusion: The polymorphisms PPARG rs1801282 and APOE rs429358 + rs7412 seem to be related to the development of lipid profile alterations in adolescents.