Plasma Adiponectin, T94G Gene Polymorphism and PAI-1 in Patients with and without Hypertension

<i>Background:</i> Reduced adiponectin level has been associated with metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease and gene polymorphisms, but the interrelationships of T94G genotype, plasma adiponectin and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) are less understood. <i>Patients and Methods:</i> The T94G genotypes and plasma levels of adiponectin, and PAI-1 were determined in 568 Chinese patients, 212 with and 356 without hypertension, to study the possible associations of T94G genotype, plasma adiponectin, PAI-1 and blood pressure. <i>Results:</i> Hypertensive patients showed significantly lower plasma adiponectin (9.7 ± 11.1 vs. 11.5 ± 10.0 µg/ml, p = 0.04) and higher PAI-1 (p < 0.001) levels but not significantly greater adiponectin TT genotype percentage (38.7 vs. 33.5%) and T allele frequency (0.620 vs. 0.585) than normotensive subjects. Plasma adiponectin was inversely related to PAI-1 activity (r = –0.09, p = 0.03) and antigen (r = –0.202, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the TT genotypic group showed significantly lower plasma adiponectin level (10.4 ± 10.5 vs. 13.4 ± 10.8 µg/ml, p = 0.03) and higher plasma PAI-1 activity