title: Polymorphisms of the FTO and MTHFR genes and vascular, inflammatory and metabolic marker levels in postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in postmenopausal women with and without the metabolic syndrome (METS) and to explore levels of circulating biomarkers of inflammation, vascular and metabolic dysfunction according to SNP genotypes.
  
  
  METHODS
  DNA was extracted from the whole blood of 192 natural postmenopausal women (40 to 65 years) screened for the METS and tested for three gene SNPs related to obesity: the fat mass obesity (FTO: rs9939609) and the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR: C677T and A1298C). Blood levels of angiopoietin, IL-8, sFASL, IL-6, TNF-α, sCD40L, PAI-1, u-PA, leptin, adiponectin, resistin, ghrelin, visfatin, adipsin and insulin were measured in a subgroup, with and without the METS, using multiplex technology (n = 100) and compared according to SNP genotypes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Genotype frequency of the three studied SNPs did not differ in relation to the presence of the METS. However, genotypes CT+TT (C677T) and AT (rs9939609) were more prevalent in women with high triglyceride levels. Pooled sub-analysis (n = 100) found that median sCD40L and visfatin levels were higher in women with genotypes AT+TT (rs9939609) as compared to AA (1178 vs. 937.0 pg/mL and 0.93 vs. 0.43 ng/mL, respectively, p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Two SNP genotypes related to obesity were more prevalent in women with abnormal triglyceride levels and two vascular and inflammatory serum markers were higher in relation to the rs9939609 SNP.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine, Research Area for Women's Health, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, PO BOX 09-01-4671, Guayaquil, Ecuador. peter.chedraui@cu.ucsg.edu.ec.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chedraui
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Facultad de Medicina, Lozano Blesa University Hospital, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Pérez-López
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine, Research Area for Women's Health, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, PO BOX 09-01-4671, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Escobar
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedicine, Research Area for Women's Health, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, PO BOX 09-01-4671, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Espinoza-Caicedo
authors.affiliation: Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montt-Guevara
authors.affiliation: Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Genazzani
authors.affiliation: Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Simoncini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000071516:Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO / Q000235:genetics*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D017698:Postmenopause; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D000071516:Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO; C526492:FTO protein, human; C573423:MTHFR protein, human; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)
keywords: FTO; Genotypes; MTHFR; Metabolic syndrome; Polymorphisms; Postmenopause; Visfatin; sCD40L