The 223A>G polymorphism of the leptin receptor gene and lipid-lowering efficacy of simvastatin in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease

Objective  To investigate whether leptin receptor (LEPR) 223A>G polymorphism influences serum lipid levels and whether this polymorphism affects the effectiveness of simvastatin in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods  A total of 312 patients with CHD were treated with simvastatin 20 mg/day. Fasting serum lipids were determined before and after 12 weeks of treatment. Results  Patients with AA genotype had significantly higher total cholesterol (TC) levels and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels than those with GG genotype (P < 0.05) before simvastatin treatment. In addition, the ability of simvastatin to increase HDL-C levels was significantly lower in patients with AA genotype than those with GG genotype (P < 0.05). Conclusions  The 223A>G polymorphism of LEPR significantly modulates the HDL-C response to simvastatin in Chinese patients with CHD. Yan-Ming Sun and Jia Li contributed equally to this study.