Research: MERLE and COLLEAGUES,

Listed in Issue 237

Abstract

MERLE and COLLEAGUES, (1)INSERM, (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale), ISPED (Institut de Santé Publique d'Épidémiologie et de Développement), Centre INSERM U897-Epidemiologie-Biostatistique, Bordeaux, France ; Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France set out to confirm the associations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-related loci with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to assess their associations with plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations.

Background

Several genes implicated in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism have been reported to be associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Furthermore, HDL transport the two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, which are highly suspected to play a key-role in the protection against AMD. The objective is to confirm the associations of HDL-related loci with AMD and to assess their associations with plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations.

Methodology

Alienor study is a prospective population-based study on nutrition and age-related eye diseases performed in 963 elderly residents of Bordeaux, France. AMD was graded according to the international classification, from non-mydriatic colour retinal photographs. Plasma lutein and zeaxanthin were determined by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The following polymorphisms were studied: rs493258 and rs10468017 (LIPC), rs3764261 (CETP), rs12678919 (LPL) and rs1883025 (ABCA1).

Results

After multivariate adjustment, the TT genotype of the LIPC rs493258 variant was significantly associated with a reduced risk for early and late AMD (OR=0.64, 95%CI: 0.41-0.99; p=0.049 and OR=0.26, 95%CI: 0.08-0.85; p=0.03, respectively), and with higher plasma zeaxanthin concentrations (p=0.03), while plasma lipids were not significantly different according to this SNP. Besides, the LPL variant was associated with early AMD (OR=0.67, 95%CI: 0.45-1.00; p=0.05) and both with plasma lipids and plasma lutein (p=0.047). Associations of LIPC rs10468017, CETP and ABCA1 polymorphisms with AMD did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that LIPC and LPL genes could both modify the risk for AMD and the metabolism of lutein and zeaxanthin.

References

Merle BM(1), Maubaret C, Korobelnik JF, Delyfer MN, Rougier MB, Lambert JC, Amouyel P, Malet F, Le Goff M, Dartigues JF, Barberger-Gateau P, Delcourt C. Association of HDL-related loci with age-related macular degeneration and plasma  lutein and zeaxanthin: the Alienor study.  PLoS One. 8(11):e79848. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079848. eCollection 2013. Nov 6 2013.

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