INSIG2 gene polymorphism is associated with higher blood pressure and triglyceride levels in Brazilian obese subjects

Objective: this study aimed to evaluate the association between polymorphisms of INSIG, PCSK9 and FTO genes with anthropometric, biochemical characteristics and presence of metabolic syndrome in patients with severe obesity. Material and methods: the present study enrolled 150 patients with grade II or III obesity, who were submitted to nutritional assessment, blood pressure measurement and peripheral blood collection. INSIG2 (rs75666605), PCSK9 (rs505151), and FTO (rs9939609) polymorphisms were genotyped using TaqMan Pre-Designed SNP Genotyping Assays probes in real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The experimental data are processed in SPSS Statistics 22.0 (p < 0.05). Results: in this study, 72.2% of obese subjects had metabolic syndrome (MS). There was a higher prevalence of AA (86.9%), CG (51.1%) and AT (46.2%) genotypes for the PCSK9, INSIG2 and FTO polymorphisms, respectively. There was no association of these polymorphisms with the prevalence of MS (p > 0.05). On the other hand, individuals with at least one variant allele (G) for the INSIG2 gene had higher triglycerides levels, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.05). Conclusions: the polymorphism rs7566605 of the INSIG2 gene is associated with higher triglycerides levels and blood pressure values, which are also considered as risk factors for the development of MS.