ABSTRACT:
Diabetes remains unique among the main non-communicable ailments (NCDs) recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), apart from the circulatory diseases, tumours, and long-lasting respiratory ailments. The current study aimed to determine the correlation between ABCA1 gene polymorphism and lipid profile in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Serum samples from 100 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (46 males and 54 females) and 50 standard subjects (26 males and 24 females) were collected from Najaf province/Iraq. Fasting blood sugar (FBS), and lipid profiles (total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), HDL, LDL and VLDL) were measured. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the Taq 1 enzyme was used for the amplification of the ABCA1 gene, which contains 525bp of the ABCA1 gene in the locus V825I. The present study revealed a positive correlation between FBS and body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.2390, p = 0.0463), TG (r = 0. 1836, p = .01743), and VLDL (r = 0.1836, p = 0.1839). The frequencies of the GG genotype and the G allele were higher in the normal groups compared to the patients (58% vs. 56% and 70% vs. 67%, respectively); conversely, the frequencies of the AA genotype (18% vs. 22%) and the A allele (30% vs. 33%) were higher in the patients compared to the normal groups. The data also showed a significant relationship between ABCA1 gene polymorphism and both TG and VLDL (P=0.007 for each). There is relationship between the ABCA1 gene and HDL level. Additionally, the G allele could be a defensive factor against diabetes mellitus in Iraqi people.