Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs4291 of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene is associated with the response to losartan treatment in hypertensive patients.

Arterial hypertension is characterized by systolic pressure ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic pressure ≥ 90 mmHg and its treatment consists of the use of antihypertensive drugs, as losartan and hydrochlorothiazide. Blood pressure is regulated by angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and polymorphisms in the ACE gene are associated to a greater predisposition to hypertension and response to treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of genetic polymorphisms of ACE rs4363, rs4291 and rs4335 and the response to antihypertensive drugs in hypertensive patients from Ouro Preto/MG, Brazil. A case-control study was carried out with 87 hypertensive patients being treated with losartan and 75 with hydrochlorothiazide, who answered a questionnaire and had blood samples collected. Biochemical analyzes were performed on serum using UV/Vis spectrophotometry and identification of ACE variants rs4363, rs4291 and rs4335 was performed by real-time PCR using the TaqMan® system. Univariate logistic regression test was performed to compare categorical data in STATA 13.0 software. The results showed that there was an influence of ACE polymorphisms on the response to losartan, demonstrating that AT or TT genotypes of rs4291 were more frequent in the group of controlled AH (54.9%), indicating that these individuals are 2.8 times more likely to of being controlled AH (95% CI 1.12-6.80, p. =0.026) compared to those with AA genotype. In contrast, no influence of ACE polymorphisms on the response to hydrochlorothiazide was observed. In conclusion, the presence of the T allele of the rs4291 variant was associated to controled blood pressure when losartan was used as an antihypertensive agent. These results show the importance of pharmacogenetic studies to detect genetic characteristics, enabling therapeutic individuality and reducing costs for the healthcare system.

ANRIL, H19 and TUG1: a review about critical long non-coding RNAs in cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. They are non-transmissible diseases that affect the cardiovascular system and have different etiologies such as smoking, lipid disorders, diabetes, stress, sedentary lifestyle and genetic factors. To date, lncRNAs have been associated with increased susceptibility to the development of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, angina and heart failure. In this way, lncRNAs are becoming a very promising point for the prevention and diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, this review highlights the most important and recent discoveries about the mechanisms of action of the lncRNAs ANRIL, H19 and TUG1 and their clinical relevance in these pathologies. This may contribute to early detection of cardiovascular diseases in order to prevent the pathological phenotype from becoming established.