Endothelin-1 Gene Polymorphisms rs5370, rs1476046, and rs3087459 are not Associated with Diabetic Nephropathy in Caucasians with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major microvascular complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Several lines of evidence implicate the endothelin (ET) system in the pathophysiology of DN. The aim of the present study was to analyze if genetic polymorphisms of the ET-1 (EDN1) gene affect susceptibility to DN in Caucasians with T2DM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 651 Caucasian subjects with T2DM of more than 10 years' duration: 276 patients with DN (cases) and 375 patients without evidence of DN (controls). Polymorphisms in ET-1 (EDN1) gene, rs5370, rs1476046, and rs3087459, were studied. RESULTS: Genotype distributions of the studied polymorphisms showed no significant difference between cases and controls. CONCLUSIONS: We provide evidence that the rs5370, rs1476046, and rs3087459 polymorphisms of EDN1 gene are not risk factors for DN in Caucasians with T2DM.