Association of serum lipids and apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism with the risk of colorectal adenomas

ABSTRACT

To investigate the relationship of serum lipids and apolipoprotein [apoE] gene polymorphism to colorectal adenomas. This study took place in the Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, PR China from June 2003 to March 2005. Ninety-eight patients with colorectal adenomas and 40 healthy subjects were enrolled, and their serum levels of triglyceride [TG], total cholesterol [TC], high density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], and low density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C] were determined. The apoE gene polymorphism was identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism [PCR-RFLP]. Serum TC levels of colorectal adenomas group [5.32 +/- 0.85 mmol/L], distal colorectal adenomas group [5.58 +/- 0.63 mmol/L], and villous adenoma group [5.49 +/- 0.69 mmol/L] were higher than the control group [4.28 +/- 0.62 mmol/L, p=0.016], proximal colorectal adenomas group [4.82 +/- 0.58 mmol/L, p=0.038] and non-villous adenoma group [4.76 +/- 0.58 mmol/L, p=0.03]. Serum HDL-C levels of colorectal adenomas group [1.39 +/- 0.25 mmol/L] were lower than the control group [1.51 +/- 0.29 mmol/L] [p=0.035]. Serum lipids levels of each genotype in colorectal adenomas group were not statistically significant. Apolipoprotein E3/E4 genotypic frequency in colorectal adenomas group [7.1%] was lower than the control group [17.5%] [p=0.012]. The findings suggest that altered lipid metabolism may be differentially associated with colorectal adenomas and the persons with apoE E3/E4 genotype have lower risk suffering from colorectal adenomas than those with other genotypes