Abstract: AIM: To investigate the association TNF-α gene -308G/A polymorphism with essential hypertension(EH).METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction and Restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to screen the TNF-α -308G/A polymorphism and the distribution feature of genotypic frequency in 246 EH patients and 208 healthy people.The association of polymorphism and EH hereditary susceptibility was analysed.RESULTS: In the EH group, the frequencies of GG, GA and AA genotypes were 85.0%, 11.8% and 3.2% ,respectively. The frequencies of G and A allele were 90.9% and 9.1%,respectively. In the control group, the frequencies of GG, GA and AA genotypes were 89.4%, 10.6% and 0, respectively. The frequencies of G and A allele were 94.7% and 5.3%,respectively.Compared with the control group, the frequencies of GA , AA genotypes (P=0.028) and A allele were higher in the EH group.Compared with -308GG homozygotes,patients with the -308A allele had a 1.729-fold greater risk of developing EH, (95% confidence interval, 1.056 to 2.831). The differences were statistical significance (P=0.030).CONCLUSION: The TNF-a -308G/A polymorphism is positively associated with EH in Han racial origin in Hunan. The allele A may be a susceptibility gene of EH.

Key words: Tumor necrosis factor, Essential hypertension, Gene polymorphism, Hereditary susceptibility  ,  ,  ,  ,