Uncoupling protein 2 −866G/A and uncoupling protein 3 −55C/T polymorphisms in young South African Indian coronary artery disease patients

Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) 2 and 3 play an important role in the regulation of oxidative stress which contributes to chronic inflammation. Promoter polymorphisms of these genes have been linked to chronic diseases including heart disease and type II diabetes mellitus in several populations. This is the first investigation of the UCP2 −866G/A rs659366 and UCP3 −55C/T rs1800849 polymorphisms in young South African (SA) Indians with coronary artery disease (CAD). A total of 300 subjects were recruited into this study of which 100 were SA Indian males with CAD, 100 age- (range 24–45years), gender- and race-matched controls and 100 age-matched black SA males. The frequency of the UCP2 −866G/A and UPC3 −55C/T genotypes was assessed by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The heterozygous UCP2 −866G/A and homozygous UCP3 −55C/C genotypes occurred at highest frequency in CAD patients (60% and 64%, respectively) compared to SA Indian controls (52% and 63%) and SA Black controls (50% and 58%). The UCP2 −886G/A (OR=1.110; 95% CI=0.7438–1.655; p=0.6835) and UCP3 −55C/T (OR=0.788; 95% CI=0.482–1.289; p=0.382) polymorphisms did not influence the risk of CAD. The rare homozygous UCP3 −55T/T genotype was associated with highest fasting glucose (11.87±3.7mmol/L vs. C/C:6.11±0.27mmol/L and C/T:6.48±0.57mmol/L, p=0.0025), HbA1c (10.05±2.57% vs. C/C:6.44±0.21% and C/T:6.76±0.35%, p=0.0006) and triglycerides (6.47±1.7mmol/L vs. C/C:2.33±0.17mmol/L and C/T:2.06±0.25mmol/L, p