Abstract
BACKGROUND: One of the most common causes of death in the world is coronary artery disease (CAD). Estrogen, the most important early sex hormones in women, plays an important role in the risk reduction of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Expression of estrogen as well as its receptors including estrogen receptor alpha (ER1) and estrogen receptor beta (ER2) might have an association with the severity or the complexity of CAD. Since most articles have focused on the relationship between ER1 gene polymorphism and CAD, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the association of two ER2 gene polymorphisms, rs4986938 (AluI) and rs1256049 (RsaI), with the severity of CAD. METHODS: 148 patients with confirmed CAD who underwent elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were included in this study. Blood samples were collected before coronary angiography and ER2 gene polymorphisms were analyzed by the PCR-RFLP method. The STNTAX Score (SS), grading system for CAD complexity, was evaluated by an interventional cardiologist who was blinded to other data. RESULTS: 110 men and 38 women were participated in this study. Our results revealed a statistically significant relationship between SS and rs4986938 polymorphism of ER2 in men. In contrast, there was no association between rs1256049 genotypes and SS after performing regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Besides to the estrogen level, the genetic variation of its receptors might play an important role in the severity or the complexity of CAD. According to our results, rs4986938 polymorphism of ER2 gene may assert a pivotal role in the severity of CAD in men; however, this assumption needs to be proved in studies with a larger population.