Abstract

Background: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has a protective role in the regulation of blood pressure. Aim: To evaluate the influence of ACE2 rs1978124 gene polymorphism on the hemodynamic response after a six-minute walk submaximal aerobic test. Material and Methods: A six-minute walk submaximal aerobic test was carried out in 47 men and 55 women, aged 22 ± 2 years. Blood pressure was recorded before and after the test. Pulse rate was recorded continuously. ACE2 polymorphism was determined in DNA extracted from a blood sample. Results: For women, the genotype distribution did not deviate from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (x2 = 0.804, d.f. = 1, P = 0.4) and no significant differences in heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were observed between CC, CT and TT genotypes before and after the test. Among men no differences in these parameters were observed either between the three phenotypes. Conclusions: ACE2 rs1978124 gene polymorphism did not influence the hemodynamic response to submaximal exercise in these participants.