RESUMEN
Vascular endothelial cells produce nitric oxide (NO), which contributes to the regulation of blood pressure and regional blood flow. Polymorphisms of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene are associated with coronary artery disease; however, associations between polymorphism (G894T) of the eNOS gene and essential hypertension remain unclear. This study was designed to investigate the association between a eNOS-G894T polymorphism and essential hypertension (EH). A total of 190 Chinese EH patients (EH group) and 94 healthy participants (control group) were included in the study. eNOS-G894T was determined using multi-polymerase chain reaction and polymorphisms in eNOS-G894T were genotyped using gene chip technology. Patients carrying eNOS GT + TT genotypes had a higher risk of EH than those carrying the GG genotype (OR = 2.82，95% CI: 1.05-7.60，P = 0.033). The EH group showed a significantly higher frequency of the T-allele compared with controls (OR = 3.48, 95% CI: 1.34-9.07; P = 0.007). eNOS-894T was found to be significantly associated with EH in the dominant genetic model. Thus, the study demonstrated a significant and independent association between a eNOS-G894T polymorphism and EH in the Chinese patients. The study also showed that eNOS-G894T polymorphism is a risk factor for EH in Chinese patients.