PAN AFRICAN JOURNAL OF LIFE SCIENCES
e-ISSN: 2672-5924
Volume 9, No. 3, December 2025
Pages 624 –630
DOI: 10.36108/pajols/5202/90.0301
Association between Tcf7l2 Rs7903146 Gene and Cardiovascular Disease Development Among Diabetic Patients Attending Primary Health Centers in Osogbo, Nigeria
Rasaq O. Fafioye1,2,3*, Ebenezer I. O. Ajayi1, Bamidele S. Ajilore4, Sunday B. Akinde3,4, Omolola Y. Adeagbo5.
1Metabolic Complications and Infectious Disease-Related Movement Disorders Research Group, Computational Membrane Biochemistry and Nanobiotechnology Unit, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria
2Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria
3Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Federal University Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria
4Molecular Research Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Osun State University, Osogbo
5Department of Public Health, Osun State Ministry of Health, Osogbo, Nigeria
Abstract
Background: Genomic sequencing has facilitated the identification of gene polymorphisms within populations, particularly single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are associated with disease susceptibility. Among these, the transcription factor 7-like 2 (Tcf7l2) gene variant rs7903146 has attracted considerable attention due to its strong genetic association with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), especially, through its T-allele. This study examined the potential role of Tcf7l2 rs7903146 in the progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) among patients with diabetes.
Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design to investigate the physiological and biochemical characteristics of human subjects. Participants included non-diabetic individuals, T2DM patients, and individuals diagnosed with CVDs, recruited from public health facilities across selected local government areas in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. DNA was extracted from whole blood and genotyping was done with specific primers while the amplicons were electrophoresed on agarose gel. Amplicons were sequenced using Sanger method.
Results: Findings revealed overlapping SNP positions between diabetic and CVD patients, with a notable association between the T-allele of rs7903146 and the presence of CVDs. No such association was observed in the non-diabetic group. The T-allele exhibited the highest frequency (33.33%) among affected individuals.
Conclusion: The study results suggest that the Tcf7l2 rs7903146 gene polymorphism has parley with diabetic and CVDs in people’s population of Osogbo, Nigeria.
Keywords: Tcf7l2, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, non-communicable diseases, Single Nucleotide Polymorphism.