title: Serotonin risk factors for the development of hypertension in pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine platelet serotonin (5-HT) concentrations and genotype and allele frequencies of serotonergic type 2A receptor gene (HTR2A) and 5-HT transporter gene (SLC6A4) in women with pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension without proteinuria (PIH) and in control normotensive pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 96 control women, 131 women with PIH and 84 women with pre-eclampsia (ICD-10 criteria) in the last trimester of pregnancy. Variants of the HTR2A T102C (rs6313) and SLC6A4 (5-HTTLPR and rs25531) were determined by the PCR and real-time PCR procedures. Platelet 5-HT concentrations were analyzed by the spectrofluorimetric method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of the 5HTTLPR and of HTR2A T102C genotypes or alleles was similar between three groups of pregnant women and was not associated with low platelet 5-HT concentrations observed in pregnant women with PIH or pre-eclampsia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results confirm alterations in the peripheral 5-HT system in pregnancy-induced hypertension. Low platelet 5-HT concentration is a common feature of both PIH and pre-eclampsia. The results did not support the hypothesis that hypertension in pregnancy is a trait associated with polymorphic variants of the HTR2A and SLC6A4 or that they have a role in the predisposition to hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. The further studies are necessary to elucidate the role of 5-HT and genetic factors in the development of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Sisters of Mercy, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Senka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabolovic Rudman
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mustapic
authors.forename: Vesna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kosec
authors.forename: Nela
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pivac
authors.forename: Franjo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rudman
authors.forename: Dorotea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Muck-Seler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D046110:Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011507:Proteinuria; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D044402:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A / Q000235:genetics*; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D044402:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins