The present study was designed to elucidate the role of apoE polymorphism in the lithogenesis of cholecystolithiasis and to explore the hereditary pathogenesis of the disease. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PRC) was used as researching apoE phenotypes and allele frequencies in patients with gallstones (n=87) and in controls (n=50), and the fasting serum lipids of subjects were also measured. The characteristics of lipid variants were analysed among the patients with different apoE phenotypes. The results showed that the levels of TG (1.43mmol/L), VLDL-C(0.68mmol/L) in E2/3 patients were greatly higher than those in E2/3 controls (1.06mmol/L, Ｐ＜0.05 and 0.48mmol/L, Ｐ＜0.05), and LDL-C (1.41mmol/L) was markably lower in E2/3 patients than that in controls (2.04mmol/L, Ｐ＜0.05). The levels of serum lipids decreased significantly in E3/3 patients with HDL-C (0.89mmol/L), HDL2-C (0.49mmol/L), HDL3-C (0.39mmol/L), and compared with those in E3/3 controls (1.28mmol/L Ｐ＜0.05, 0.73mmol/L Ｐ＜0.001 and 0.55mmol/L Ｐ＜0.001). In E3/4 patients there were only slight changes of VLDL-C, LDL-C level. The results suggest that the average level of serum lipids in the same apoE phenotype patients with gallstones is higher than that in controls, and the different apoE phenotypes patients with gallstones have different characteristics of dyslipidemia. ε2 allele is probably one of the dangerous factor in the lithogenesis of cholecystolithiasis.
The etiology and pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are unclear and difficult fot treatment. Some genetic research evidences in recent years have shown that the relationship between lipid metabolism-related gene polymorphism and AMD is statistically significant; it has also been found that blood lipid levels are related to AMD, and lipid-lowering drugs may have the effect of delaying the development of AMD in clinically. Abnormal lipid metabolism may play an important role in the occurrence and development of AMD. Clarifying the role of lipid metabolism in the occurrence and development of diseases will help reveal the pathogenesis of diseases and promote early diagnosis, monitoring and prevention of diseases, and provide an entry point for treatment.