Is there any link between severe pre-eclampsia and defined polymorphisms in leptin and adiponectin genes?
OBJECTIVE
The pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia, one of the leading causes of maternal mortality worldwide, still remains unclear. Recently, it has been suggested that impaired regulation of complex interactions among various adipokines plays an important role in the development of pre-eclampsia. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the two common polymorphisms of the leptin (LEP) and adiponectin (APM1) genes are associated with the development of pre-eclampsia and its related traits (gestational hypertension, proteinuria and various measures of reduced fetal growth ) in the Czech pre-eclamptic population.


METHODS
The case-control study comprised a total of 123 pre-eclamptic women and 150 healthy controls of similar age and parity distribution. They were genotyped for the LEP -2548G/A (5'-untranslated region) and APM1 T94G (exon 2) polymorphisms using polymerase chain reaction.


RESULTS
The allele frequency of the LEP -2548G polymorphism was 0.541 in the pre-eclamptic group versus 0.583 in the control group (P=0.578); the frequency of the APM1 94G polymorphism was 0.073 and 0.079 (P=0.628), respectively. No significant associations were detected between either of the two single nucleotide polymorphisms or any of the parameter biomarkers related to pre-eclampsia, such as gestational hypertension or proteinuria. However, the APM1 T94G polymorphism was significantly associated with a low birth weight in pre-eclamptic pregnancies, with mothers carrying the T-allele having an almost three-fold increase in the likelihood of giving birth to a child with a low birth weight for its gestational age (odds ratio, 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.18-5.9; P=0.004).


CONCLUSIONS
The APM1 T94G and LEP -2548G/A polymorphisms do not seem to be major genetic determinants of susceptibility to pre-eclampsia in the Czech Caucasian population. However, evidence has been provided for possible APM1 T94G involvement in controlling the birth weight of children from pre-eclamptic pregnancies, thus supporting the hypothesis of T94G involvement in controlling the birth weight of newborns.
Bienertová-Vasků
Julie
J
Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic. jbienert@med.muni.cz
Dostálová
Zuzana
Z
Kanková
Katerina
K
Bienert
Petr
P
Vasků
Anna
A
Unzeitig
Vít
V
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000235:genetics*; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D020738:Leptin / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000235:genetics*; D011247:Pregnancy
D052242:Adiponectin; D020738:Leptin