Alpha-adducin Gly460Trp polymorphism and renal hemodynamics in essential hypertension

Previous studies have shown an association between the alpha-adducin Gly460Trp polymorphism and salt-sensitive hypertension. Not much is known about the effects of the variants of this polymorphism on renal hemodynamics and function. Therefore, we performed the present study to investigate the effect of the 460Trp allele of the alpha-adducin gene on renal hemodynamics in one hundred and seventeen essential hypertensive patients who were put on a low and high sodium diet (randomized order). On the last day of each one-week dietary period, blood pressure, effective renal plasma flow (ERPF), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and neurohormones were measured. Effective renal blood flow (ERBF), renal vascular resistance, and filtration fraction were calculated. ERPF, ERBF, and GFR were lower in patients homozygous for the 460Trp allele compared with patients with the Gly460Gly genotype on low sodium diet but no differences were found at the higher sodium intake. On the other hand, levels of atrial natriuretic peptide were significantly higher in patients with the Trp460Trp genotype as compared with patients with the Gly460Gly genotype on both diets. In multivariate analysis, Trp460Trp genotype, age, and mean arterial pressure were predictors of ERPF, whereas Trp460Trp genotype and age were predictors of GFR during the phase of low sodium diet. The present study shows that the Trp460Trp genotype is significantly associated with reduced renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate as compared with the wild-type variant.