Hyperhomocysteinemia, Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Polymorphism, and Risk of Coronary Artery Disease

dent, graded risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). The G894T variant of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) was postulated to be associated with hyperhomocysteinemia and could influence individual susceptibility to CAD. The aims of this study were to investigate (a) the relationship of the eNOS G894T polymorphism with the presence and the severity of CAD and (b) the possible relationship between hyper-homocysteinemia and the eNOS G894T variant for the risk of CAD severity in a Tunisian population. Methods:We used PCRwith restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis to detect the G894T variant of the eNOS gene in 100 patients with CAD and 120 healthy controls. The severity of CAD was expressed by the number of affected vessels. Total plasma homocys