Low levels of serum cholesterol and systolic blood pressure in Japanese with the apolipoprotein E3/2 genotype.

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) plays an important role in lipoprotein and cholesterol metabolism. An association between serum cholesterol and blood pressure has been suggested by epidemiological and experimental studies. But it is still not clear whether the apoE polymorphism plays a role in regulating blood pressure. The present study was undertaken to determine the association among apoE genotype, serum cholesterol and blood pressure in 303 healthy Japanese workers. Amplified fragments of DNA by the polymerase chain reaction were digested with HhaI and analyzed by 3% agarose-gel electrophoresis. Individuals with the apoE3/2 genotype had significantly lower levels of total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure than either the apoE3/3 individuals or the apoE3/4 + 4/4 individuals (P <0.05). The hypothesis that apoE indirectly influences systolic blood pressure through total serum cholesterol was supported by a covariance analysis of linear structural equations.