Interactions of renin-angiotensin system gene polymorphisms and antihypertensive effect of benazepril in Chinese population

Aim: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors are widely used antihypertensive drugs with individual response variation. We studied whether interactions of AGT, AGTR1 and ACE2 gene polymorphisms affect this response. Materials & methods: Our study is based on a 3-year field trial with 1831 hypertensive patients prescribed benazepril. Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction was used to explore interaction models and logistic regressions were used to confirm them. Results: A two-locus model involving the AGT and ACE2 genes was found in males, the sensitive genotypes showed an odds ratio (OR) of 1.9 (95% CI: 1.3–2.8) when compared with nonsensitive genotypes. Two AGT–AGTR1 models were found in females, with an OR of 3.5 (95% CI: 2.0–5.9) and 3.1 (95% CI: 1.8–5.3). Conclusion: Gender-specific gene–gene interactions of the AGT, AGTR1 and ACE2 genes were associated with individual variation of response to benazepril. Further studies are needed to confirm this finding. Original submitted 1 November 2010...