Introduction: Hypertension is a complex disease in which a significant interaction between genetic and environmental factors takes place. The renin-angiotensin system plays an important role regulating blood pressure to maintain homeostasis and vascular tone. In the present work, the role of angiotensin II type 1-receptor (AGTR1) gene polymorphisms as susceptibility markers for hypertension was evaluated.
Materials and methods: Five polymorphisms in the AGTR1 gene were genotyped by 5' exonuclease TaqMan genotyping assays in 239 hypertensive and 371 non-hypertensive individuals.
Results: A similar distribution of rs275651, rs275652, rs275653, and rs5183 polymorphisms was observed in both studied groups. Different distribution of rs5182 genotypes was observed between the studied groups (p = 0.016). According to the co-dominant model, individuals with rs5182 CC genotype have a 1.83-fold increased risk of developing hypertension (p = 0.009). Polymorphisms were distributed in two blocks: block 1 included the rs275651, rs275652, and rs275653 polymorphisms, whereas block 2 included the rs5183 and rs5182 polymorphisms. Individuals with hypertension showed increased frequency of 'CA' haplotype of block 2 when compared to non-hypertensive individuals (p = 0.015, odds ratio = 1.33).
Conclusion: The results suggest that the rs5182 gene polymorphism could be involved in the risk of developing hypertension in Mexican individuals.