Original Articles
Copyright ©The Author(s) 1999. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 15, 1999; 5(3): 228-230
Published online Jun 15, 1999. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v5.i3.228
Effect of apolipoprotein E gene Hha I restricting fragment length polymorphism on serum lipids in cholecystolithiasis
Qi-Yuan Lin, Jing-Ping Du, Ming-Yi Zhang, Yu-Gwei Yao, Lin Li, Nan-Sheng Cheng, Lu-Nan Yan, Lu-Jia Xiao
Qi-Yuan Lin, Jing-Ping Du, Ming-Yi Zhang, Yu-Gwei Yao, Lin Li, Nan-Sheng Cheng, Lu-Nan Yan, Lu-Jia Xiao, Department of General Surgery, First Hospital, West China University of Medical Sciences
Qi-Yuan Lin, Male, born on 1964-01-01 in Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, graduated from West China University of Medical Sciences and earned a Doctor degree in 1996, now an associate professor, majoring hepatic-biliary-pancreatic surgery having 16 articles published.
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Qi-Yuan Lin, Department of General Surgery, First University Hospital, West China University of Medical Sciences, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Telephone: +86-28-5551078 Fax: +86-28-5530724
Received: January 20, 1999
Revised: February 20, 1999
Accepted: February 25, 1999
Published online: June 15, 1999
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the role of apolipoprotein E (apoE) polymorphism in the lithogenesis of gallstone and the hereditary pathogenesis of the disease.

METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to study apoE phenotypes and allele frequencies in patients with gallstones and control, and the fasting serum lipids of subjects were also measured by enzymatic methods.

RESULTS: The levels of triglyceride (TG) and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) were much higher in E2/3 patients than that in E2/3 control. E3/3 patients were accompanied with remarkably low levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C) and its subforms. But in E3/4 patients there were only slight changes in levels of VLDL-C and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).

CONCLUSION: Different apoE phenotype patients with gallstones have different cheracteristics of dyslipidemia and the average level of serum lipids in patients with gallstones are higher than subjects without gallstones in the same apoE gene phenotype. ε2 allele is possibly one of the dangerous factors in the lithogenesis of chole-cystolithiasis.

Keywords: apolipoprotein E; polymorphism; lipids; cholecystolithiasis; polymerase chain reaction