Association of the rs236918 variant of PCSK7 with the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components in population from Ahvaz cohort study: A case-control study in Iran

Objectives: The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 7 (PCSK7) enzyme is encoded by the PCSK7 gene and is involved in the processing and activation of latent precursor proteins. Previous studies have reported that some PCSK7 variants are associated with markers of body iron stores and lipid profiles, as well as obesity and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the rs236918 variant of PCSK7 with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its related components. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 325 participants in the age group of 25 to 86 years were examined. Standard protocols were employed to measure body mass index, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG). Individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS) were identified in accordance with the guidelines set by the National Cholesterol Education Program. Genotype was determined using the PCR-RFLP method. Results: The findings revealed that there was no association between the rs236918 variant and increased risk of MetS or its components and also plasma lipid profile. Conclusion: Overall, the findings exhibit no significant association between the PCSK7 rs236918 polymorphism and MetS in this population. Although these results may be due to sample size and power issues, the role of lifestyle factors and other genes in the development of MetS appears to be more important in this population. Therefore, further research is required to validate these results.