Association of flow-mediated vasodilation with a promoter polymorphism in the gene encoding chemokine CC motif receptor 2 (CCR2)

Aims: CCR2 represents a high-affinity receptor for the chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1) which is suggested to play an important role in inflammation-related disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, alveolitis, and atherosclerosis. In this study, we examined the impact of the CCR2 promoter polymorphism rs398359AT on blood pressure, atherosclerosis-relevant plasma parameters, and endothelial function. Methods: To this end, 217 healthy subjects (130 women/87 men, age 44±0.8, means±SE) were genotyped for the rs398359AT polymorphism and metabolically (oGTT) characterized. Endothelial function was me…