Alzheimer's disease in Brazilian elderly has a relation with homocysteine but not with MTHFR polymorphisms.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between total plasma homocysteine concentration, C677T and A1298C polymorphisms in MTHFR gene and Alzheimer's disease (AD) development.


METHODS
Forty-three patients with probable (63%) and possible (37%) AD and 50 non-demented controls were evaluated. Groups did not differ as to gender, age, scholar years, diabetes, alcohol and coffee intake and physical activity. Total plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels were determined by HPLC and genotyping for MTHFR by PCR/RFLP. Mann-Whitney "U" test was used to compare quantitative variable, Fisher-Freeman-Halton test to compare genotypes and allele proportions and Chi-square test to other qualitative variables.


RESULTS
AD patients presented higher total plasma Hcy levels than controls and the difference was statistically significant. No differences in the C677T and A1298C MTHFR polymorphisms distributions were found between patients and controls. Plasma homocysteine concentration did not change with MTHFR genotypes.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data confirms the association between increased plasma Hcy concentration and AD and suggests that neither C677T nor A1298C MTHFR polymorphisms contributed to genetic susceptibility for AD in elderly individuals in the Northeast of Brazil.
da Silva
Vanessa Cavalcante
VC
Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Ramos
Flávio José da Costa
FJ
Freitas
Elizabete Malaquias
EM
de Brito-Marques
Paulo Roberto
PR
Cavalcanti
Márcia Nery de Holanda
MN
D'Almeida
Vânia
V
Cabral-Filho
José Eulálio
JE
Muniz
Maria Tereza Cartaxo
MT
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
D005819:Genetic Markers; D006710:Homocysteine; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)