Alzheimer’s Disease and Metabolic Dysfunction: No Association Between L72m Ghlr Variant in Brazilian Population| Biomed Grid

Introduction: In Alzheimer's disease (AD) the pattern of expression of ghrelin is modified. A reduction in this peptide hormone was observed in some regions of the brain as the hippocampus and the temporal lobe, both associated with cognitive system and memory. Ghrelin is the multifunctional hormone with an important role in regulation of energy balance and metabolic function and is coded by the GHRL gene. Objective: The aim of this work was to verify the relationship of the L72m Ghlr variant, that is associated whit metabolic disorders, with Alzheimer's disease. Materials and Methods: By case-control association study, DNA samples from 194 AD patients and 201 elderly control (EC) were genotyped for L72m Ghlr variant (rs696217). Results and Discussion: The allele frequencies were similar in cases and controls (72M: 9.07% and 7.71%, respectively). These results suggest that L72M variant is not a risk factor to AD. We did not find association with this variant of GHLR, which has a larger correlation with metabolic effects and recent evidence suggests a strict link between metabolic disorders and AD. This work does not exclude the possibility of action of the other variants or epigenetic control factors of GHRL in AD