angiotensin converting enzyme gene polymorphism in iranian patients with type 2 diabetes

background: angiotensin i converting enzyme (ace) is a zinc metalloproteinase, converts ang-i to ang- ii, a pro-inflammatory agent which may contribute to pathophysiology of some diseases like type 2 diabetes. objective: to investigate the relationship between ace i/d polymorphism and type 2 diabetes in 261 iranian casecontrol pairs. methods: 170 patients (85 type 2 diabetics with nephropathy and 85 type 2 diabetics without nephropathy) and 91 healthy control subjects were enrolled in our study. i/d polymorphism of the ace gene was detected by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) utilizing specific primers. results: the frequency of dd genotype in the dn group was higher than that of the type 2 diabetic patients (30.6% vs. 20%, p =0.157) and the control group (30.6% vs. 14.3%, p=0.006). the frequency of d allele in nephropathic patients was 58.2% as compared to type 2 diabetic patients without nephropathy 50.5% (p=0.19) and control subjects 37.3% (p =0.001). therefore, the frequency of dd genotype and d allele significantly increased in dn patients in comparison to healthy controls. conclusion: it is concluded that the dd genotype and/or d allele of ace gene may increase the risk for type 2 diabetes but not diabetic nephropathy.