A Brief Review of the Association between Genetic Polymorphisms of the Paraoxonase Family and Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is known as an inflammatory disease that can affect any vessel in the body. The occurrence of atherosclerosis in heart vessels is called coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Different genetic and environmental factors can cause cardiovascular diseases, such as age, weight, sex, and low high-density lipoproteins (HDL) levels. Antioxidant and anti-atherogenic effects of HDL are related to proteins attached, such as Paraoxonase (PON). The Paraoxonase gene family has three members, PON-I, PON-II, and PON-III, located next to each other, on the long arm of chromosome 7, in humans. It seems polymorphisms and genetic variation resulting in several different phenotypes can affect the PON function. Due to its role in the human antioxidant system, changes in paraoxonase activity can increase or even reduce the risk of CAD. In this investigation, we reviewed different studies that showed, in some populations, specific polymorphisms with an effect on enzymatic activity ultimately increase or decrease the risk of disease in individuals. In contrast, no association has been found between disease and polymorphism in some populations. Therefore, further studies and meta-analyses in this field seem to be useful.