Association of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) polymorphism and cognition, BMI, blood pressure, and uric acid in a Chinese cohort

Abstract

The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is an intracellular methylation enzyme that catalyzes degradation pathway and inactivates the function of catecholamines and estrogens, both of which are of known importance for cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity and hypertension. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), a G to A transition in exon 4 of the COMT gene resulting in a valine to methionine substitution at residue 158, has been found to be associated with differential COMT activity. We hypothesized that this polymorphism might play a possible contribution for diversity physiology due to the COMT widespread over the organs and tissues. Totally, 711 volunteers, aged 16–17 years old, all physically healthy Han Chinese descendants were recruited. Subjects underwent extensive anthropometric, clinical and biochemical assessment. The result reveals that subjects with Met/Met homozygous displayed higher BMI, diastolic pressure, and uric acid significantly. This finding may suggest a possible risk factor of COMT in obesity, hypertension, and hyperuricemia.