Association of apolipoprotein E polymorphism with type 2 diabetes mellitus in a Saudi population

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a common chronic metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. It is considered to be a major risk factor for obesity and cardiovascular diseases. The cause of T2DM is likely due to a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene plays a key role in lipid metabolism. The aim of this contemporary study was to investigate the ApoE polymorphism in a Saudi population with T2DM subjects. Two common single-nucleotide polymorphisms, that is, rs429358 and rs7412, in the ApoE gene were genotyped by TaqMan assay in T2DM patients (n=438) and controls (n=460). The results of the present study indicate that ApoE polymorphism was significantly associated with T2DM in a Saudi population with the ɛ2 and ɛ4 alleles (p=0.0001). We found statistically significant difference in the genotype distribution between T2DM patients and controls [for E4/E4: OR, 4.39 (95% CI: 2.16-8.92); p=0.0001]. A significant difference was observed in the lipid profile parameters, like triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, and ApoE alleles (p=0.0001). Further studies are carried out in a Saudi population with different diseases to confirm the risk allele. In conclusion, our study results suggest that ApoE variants constitute risk markers of T2DM in a Saudi population.