Introduction: Polymorphisms in the CETP gene promoter have been associated with cardiovascular risk and lipid alterations; however, their role in the development of hypertension has not been extensively explored. We evaluated four polymorphisms of the CEPT gene -827C>T, -631C>A, -630C>A, and -629C>A in patients with essential hypertension (EH). Materials and Methods: A total of 160 hypertensive (HT) patients and 160 normotensive (NT) individuals were studied. Blood pressure was measured and blood samples were collected for biochemical anlayses and DNA extraction. Polymorphisms were identified using Sanger sequencing. Genotype, genotype combination, allele, and haplotype frequencies were analyzed. Associations between the SNPs and EH were explored using multiple linear regression models. Results: Under the dominant model, the -629A allele reduced the odds of having EH (odds ratio [OR] = 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34-0.98; p = 0.04), whereas the genotype combination -631CC/-629CC increased the risk of HT (OR = 2.21, 95% CI, 1.23-3.95, p = 0.008). In HT patients, the -629A allele was associated with increased insulin levels (β = 4.0, 95% CI, 1.21-6.68, p = 0.005), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (β = 0.9, 95% CI, 0.17-1.72, p = 0.018), and in NT individuals it was associated with increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (β = 3.0, 95% CI, 0.20-5.78, p = 0.036). Conclusion: The CETP -629A allele reduces the odds of having essential arterial hypertension in the Mexican population. Moreover, it exerts a variable effect on diverse biomarkers analyzed in both NT and HT groups.
Keywords: CETP; Mexico; hypertension; lipids.