Significant interaction of APOE rs4420638 polymorphism with HDL-C and APOA-I levels in coronary heart disease in Han Chinese men

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) is recognized for its importance in lipoprotein metabolism and cardiovascular disease. We evaluated the association between APOE rs4420638 genotypes and circulating lipid concentrations along with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). We conducted a case-control study involving 1508 individuals to investigate the contribution of rs4420638 to the risk of CHD in Han Chinese. In addition, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between rs4420638 and CHD in Europeans and Asians. The results show that rs4420638 is significantly correlated with increased CHD risk in male Han Chinese [P = 0.040, odds ratio (OR) = 1.34, 95% confidential interval (95% CI) = 1.01-1.78] and is likely to increase the risk of CHD under the dominant model in males (P = 0.036, OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.02-1.88). A further subgroup analysis by rs4420638 genotype found a significant association of rs4420638 AA with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P = 0.012) and APOA-I levels (P = 0.0001) in males. The meta-analysis suggests that rs4420638 significantly increases the risk of CHD (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.14-1.22, P < 0.0001, fixed-effect method). Our case-control study shows that rs4420638 genotype AA has a significant association with the concentrations of circulating HDL-C and APOA-I in CHD in Han Chinese males. The meta-analysis suggests that rs4420638 is associated with CHD risk in Europeans and Asians.