Methylenetetrahydrofolate C677T polymorphism and pre-eclamptic Egyptian women

Abstract

Thrombosis of the maternal spiral arteries can be one of the causative events in pre-eclampsia disease, it has been suggested that the C677T polymorphism may also play a role in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. Aims of the work: To investigate the frequency of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism in Egyptian pregnant women’s with pre eclampsia, and compare with the control group. Type of study: A prospective comparative study among two groups of subjects: 44 preeclamptic women and 44 women with normal pregnancies from November 2008 to April 2010, at Suez Canal University, Faculty of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, DNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction with sequences specific primers (SSP-PCR). DNA purification capture column kit (Gentra system, USA). Digestion was performed by restrictasc Hinf1 (Fermentas), visualization of genomic DNA by minigel electrophoresis primer sequences. The gels were then photographed under UV light (320 nm) and scored for the presence or absence of an allele specific band. Results: The study group had a significantly higher frequency of the homozygous mutated TT allele (34.1% vs. 0.0%, P < 0.0001) and T Allele genotype of C677T polymorphisms compared to controls, (56.8% vs. 31.8%) in both groups respectively and significant OR (46.76). The control group had a higher frequency of both the heterozygous mutated CT and homozygous CC genotypes of C677T polymorphism than the other groups (P < 0.0004) Conclusion: C677T polymorphism of MTHFR gene was found to be associated with the development of pre-eclampsia. Mutant T allele and TT genotypes of C677T may be considered genetic risk factors for the development of pre-eclampsia among Egyptian pregnant women.

Keywords

• Pre-eclampsia
• C677T mutation
• MTHFR