Association between the Angiotensinogen (AGT) gene (M235T) polymorphism and Essential Hypertension in Egyptian patients

The pathogenesis of essential hypertension (EH) is affected by genetic and environmental factors. Mutations in hypertension-related genes can affect blood pressure (BP) via alteration of salt and water reabsorption by the nephron. The genes of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) have been extensively studied because of the well documented role of this system in the control of BP. It has been previously shown that angiotensinogen (AGT) gene polymorphism could be associated with increased risk of EH. The current study evaluated the frequency of AGT (M235T) polymorphism in relation to EH in a group of Egyptian population. The study population included 83 hypertensive patients and 60 age and sex matched healthy control subjects. Restriction fragment length polymorphism-Polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR) was used for the analysis of M235T polymorphism of AGT genes in peripheral blood samples of all patients and controls. The results revealed that there was a positive risk of developing EH when having the T allele whether in homozygous or heterozygous state. It was concluded that there was an association between AGT (M235T) gene polymorphism and the risk of developing EH.