Genetic Polymorphisms Associated with Metabolic Syndrome in North Africa: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Hamid Farhane1
, Majida Motrane1, Fatima-Ezzahra Anaibar1, Aïcha Motrane2, Said Nassor Abeid1, Nourdin Harich11Laboratory of Anthropogenetics, Biotechnology and Health, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Chouaïb Doukkali University, El Jadida, Morocco.
2Diabetes Diagnosis and Treatment Center, Provincial Delegation of Public Health of El Jadida, El Jadida, Morocco.
Corresponding Author E-mail: harichanthropo@gmail.com
Abstract: Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multifactorial disorder characterized by the aggregation of various metabolic disorders, including obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypoHDLemia and hypertension. In addition to environmental influences, genetic factors can play a major role in the development of MetS. Objective: The present bibliographic review aims to examine the contribution of candidate gene polymorphisms to MetS susceptibility in North African populations. Methods: A systematic review search was conducted to identify pertinent articles published on Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science from their inception to August 2, 2023 to obtain all reported genetic data related to MetS in North African populations. Results: According to the literature search strategy, 785 articles were initially obtained from the cited databases, and 15 more papers were found utilizing other sources. Following the filtering procedure, 25 papers totalising 3925 cases and 4431 controls were included, from which only 13 were eligible for meta-analysis. The meta-analysis results suggest that the genetic cumulative risk of developing MetS was substantially influenced by four polymorphisms, including APOA5 (rs3135506 and rs662799), APOC3 (rs5128), and FTO (rs9939609), while the vaspin polymorphism (rs2236242) was reported to play a protective role from MetS. Furthermore, no significant association was observed between rs1169288, rs2464196, and rs735396 polymorphisms at HNF1A gene and MetS development. A narrative synthesis of association studies revealed that a multitude of candidate genes is associated with MetS components. In all included studies, 14 polymorphisms were linked to obesity, and 13 polymorphisms were associated with hyperglycemia. The association of hypertension with polymorphisms represents the lowest number, with only seven polymorphisms associated with this MetS component. In the other hand, studies about MetS in North Africa considering the genetic association of candidate genes with dyslipidemia component represents the highest number with 20 polymorphisms in approximately 14 genes. Conclusion: The present meta-analysis suggests that four polymorphisms, namely rs3135506 and rs662799 at APOA5 gene, rs5128 at APOC3 and rs9939609 at FTO, contributed significantly to the MetS risk susceptibility, via their association with some MetS components as dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, obesity, and hypertension. Nevertheless, we can state that genetic association and genetic susceptibility studies to MetS in North African populations are still lacking, requiring additional well-designed epidemiogenetic studies.
Keywords: Association; Genetic Polymorphism; Metabolic Syndrome; North Africa Back to TOC