More evidence for the genetic susceptibility of Mexican population to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease through PNPLA3

Background. The gene for patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 3 (PNPLA3) is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) development. We previously found that Mexican indigenous population had the highest frequency reported of the PNPLA3 148M risk allele. Further, we observed a relationship between M148M genotype with elevated ALT levels in individuals with normal weight, overweight and obese. We sought to investigate whether PNPLA3 polymorphism is associated with NAFLD development in Mexicans. Material and methods. We enrolled 189 Mexican patients with NAFLD and 201 healthy controls. Anthropometric, metabolic, and biochemical variables were measured, and rs738409 (Ile148Met substitution) polymorphism was genotyped by sequencing. Results. Logistic regression analysis, using a recessive model, suggested that PNPLA3 polymorphism in Mexican population is significantly associated (OR = 1.711, 95% CI: 1.014-2.886; P = 0.044) with NAFLD. Conclusions: The PNPLA3 gene is associated with NAFLD in Mexican population. More studies are required to explain the high prevalence of PNPLA3 polymorphism in Mexican-Americans, Mexican-Indians, and Mexican-Mestizos.