Cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) T6325C polymorphism might modulate essential hypertension-associated stroke risk.

Stroke is a serious complication associated with hypertension. Because cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) is involved in the production of arachidonic acid-derived vasoactive substances, we hypothesized that CYP1A1 functional polymorphisms (linked to changes in enzyme activity) might be related to pathological conditions associated with essential hypertension. We genotyped 32 patients with hypertension for three CYP1A1 polymorphisms, and individuals with or without history of previous stroke were compared. These results were also compared with a control population sample of 152. The distributions of T6235C (m1) CYP1A1 genotypes in patients with (TT: 44.4%; TC/CC: 55.6%; n = 9) and without stroke (TT: 82.6%; TC/CC: 17.4%; n = 23) indicate that the C allele is associated with stroke (OR = 5.94; 95% C = 1.46 - 24.23). No association was found between the polymorphism studied and essential hypertension. Our results suggest a relationship between CYP1A1 activity and incidence of stroke in patients with essential hypertension, but no conclusion can be drawn regarding an association with essential hypertension.