Association between xanthine dehydrogenase tag single nucleotide polymorphisms and essential hypertension

The present study aimed to investigate the association between xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) gene polymorphism and essential hypertension in the rural Han Chinese population of Fuxin, Liaoning. Han Chinese individuals, who had lived in rural areas of Fuxin, were selected as subjects for the present study. A total of 521 unrelated patients with hypertension were selected, along with a further 533 unrelated individuals with normal blood pressure, in order to serve as controls. Five tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the XDH gene were selected. An estimation of SNP allele frequency was determined using DNA pooling and pyrosequencing methods. Prior to Bonferroni correction, T allele frequency for rs206811 was significantly higher in patients with hypertension, as compared with the controls (64.1 vs. 59.4%; P=0.031); C allele frequency for rs1042039 was significantly higher in patients with hypertension, as compared with the controls (66.1 vs. 60.6%; P=0.011), C allele frequency for rs1054889 was significantly lower in patients with hypertension, as compared with the controls (38.8 vs. 44.8%; P=0.007); and A allele frequency for rs2073316 was significantly lower in patients with hypertension, as compared with the controls (29.2 vs. 34.4%; P=0.013). However, once a Bonferroni correction for multiple testing was applied, the XDH gene polymorphisms rs1042039, rs1054889, and rs2073316 were shown to be associated with hypertension (P=0.044, 0.035, and 0.039, respectively). These results suggest that the XDH gene polymorphisms rs1042039, rs1054889, and rs2073316 may be associated with hypertension in the rural Han Chinese population.