Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) plays an important role in regulating lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and ApoE genotypes are known to affect lipoprotein concentrations. ApoE may become a major variable of preventive and personalized medicine due to several biological role. ApoE genotypes could be an important host genetic factor affecting disease progression in chronic liver disease. We investigated whether ApoE gene polymorphism determines the disease progression to liver cirrhosis in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected Egyptian individuals. This case-controlled study enrolled 120 subjects, 80 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) related liver disease patients and 40 age and sex matched healthy control subjects. ApoE genotypes were determined by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP). Restriction isotyping using restriction enzyme (HhaI). Among the 120 subjects, the most common genotype was ε3/ε3, accounting for (91.67)%, followed by ε3/ ε4 (8.33) %. The genotypes of ε2/2 2/3 2/4 and ε4/4 were not detected in our results. The ε3 allele was the most common allele overrepresented in CHC LC/LF (98.75) % versus (93.75) % in non cirrhotic group. However, CHC non cirrhotic patients had a higher ApoE ε4 allele frequency (6.25) % than those with severe disease (1.25) %. Major contribution of ApoE ε4 allele was with decreased susceptibility to LC/LF development cannot be ruled out; (OR) (CI95), 0.18(0.02 to 1.61)/0.19 (0.02 to 1.66) (p=0.12,0.13) for (ε3/ ε4) genotype and ε4 allelle frequency respectively. Although non statistically significant difference due to relatively small sample size. Our result support other studies for a possible genetic association between ApoE ε4 allele with a lower probability of progression to HCV-related liver cirrhosis.
 

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