ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily of ligand-activated transcription factors and known to play a role in regulating the expression of numerous genes involved in lipid metabolism, metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. The PPARgamma2 Pro12Ala polymorphism has recently been shown to be associated with diabetic nephropathy. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between PPARgamma2 Pro12Ala polymorphism and type 2 diabetic nephropathy whose duration of diabetes was over 10 years. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study, which enrolled 367 patients with type 2 diabetes. Genotyping of PPARgamma2 Pro12Ala polymorphism was performed using polymerase chain reaction followed by digestion with Hae III restriction enzyme. RESULTS: The genotype or allele frequencies of PPARgamma2 Pro12Ala polymorphism were not significantly different in diabetic patients with or without diabetic nephropathy. The genotype frequencies in terms of diabetic retinopathy and macrovascular complications such as coronary artery disease or stroke were not different either. Interestingly, nephropathy patients with Ala/Pro genotype showed lower C-peptide levels than those of Pro/Pro genotype. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that PPARgamma2 Pro12Ala polymorphism is not associated with diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients.