Aim: Polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) genes, involved in the intracellular metabolism of homcysteine, can result in hyperhomocysteinemia. The objective of this study was to evaluate prevalence estimates of MTHFR C677T and the CBS insertion of 68-bp (844ins68) polymorphisms among individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Methods: In total, 131 patients (61 men and 70 women) were hospitalized in the Cardiology Department in CHU of Sétif, Algeria. The control group included 147 apparently healthy adults (82 women and 65 men). The genetic analysis of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction on a Light Cycler; the CBS genotype was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction in a thermal cycler.
Results: The frequency of the TT genotype was 16.1% in the patient group and 14.3% in the control group. The CT genotype constituted 43.5% and 40.1% in the patient group and the control group, respectively. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of the TT genotype between the studied groups. The frequency of C677T/MTHFR in male and female patients was 16.4% and 15.7% for the TT genotype, respectively. There was no significant difference in T allele frequencies between sexes. However, the frequency of C677T homozygotes in the patients was higher in men with CVD than that in corresponding control subjects (40.2% vs. 29.2%), but the difference was not statistically significant. The coexistence of the MTHFR 677TT genotype and the common CBS 844ins68 variant was lower among patients.
Conclusions: The MTHFR C677T and CBS 844ins68 variants tested in this study, individually or combined, are not associated with CVD in the Algerian population.