LEPR c.668A>G polymorphism in a cohort of Sri Lankan women with pre-eclampsia / pregnancy induced hypertension: a case control study.
BACKGROUND
Leptin is known to be elevated in pre-eclampsia/ pregnancy induced hypertension (PE/PIH). However the reports on the association of leptin receptor (LEPR) c.668A>G polymorphism with PE/PIH are inconsistent.


RESULTS
LEPR c.668A>G polymorphism was studied in a cohort of women with PE/PIH (N = 61) and normotensive pregnancies (N = 40) by polymerase chain reaction / restriction fragment length polymorphism. Genotype and allele frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium within both groups (Chi square test). Allele and genotype frequencies were not significantly different between PE/PIH and normotensive pregnancies (Chi square test). Leptin levels (Kruskal Wallis analysis of variance) and leptin/body mass index (one way analysis of variance) were not significantly different between genotypes within each group. However, leptin (Mann Whitney U test) and leptin normalised to body mass index (unpaired t test) were significantly higher in PE/PIH women homozygous and heterozygous for the G668 allele than in respective normotensives.


CONCLUSIONS
Whether the leptin receptor c.668A>G polymorphism increases the risk of developing PE/PIH in Sri Lankan women remains inconclusive in view of the smaller sample studied. However leptin levels in PE/PIH appeared to be modulated by this polymorphism.
Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka. kamani@ibmbb.cmb.ac.lk
Kamani Hemamala
KH
Tennekoon
Wijesekara Liyanage
WL
Indika
Rohan
R
Sugathadasa
Eric Hamilton
EH
Karunanayake
Jayalath
J
Kumarasiri
Ajita
A
Wijesundera
D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D046110:Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D011247:Pregnancy; D054411:Receptors, Leptin / Q000235:genetics*; D013188:Sri Lanka
C515448:LEPR protein, human; D020738:Leptin; D054411:Receptors, Leptin