Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphism, homocysteine, lipid levels and susceptibility to preeclampsia in Korean women / 대한산부인과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to test the hypothesis that the common missense mutation of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase(MTHFR) is more prevalent among preeclamptic women compared with control and also was to determine whether homocysteine and other lipid profile is changed in pregnant women with preeclampsia. METHODS: We measured plasma homocysteine, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglyceride, apoprotein B, vitamin B12, and folate in 48 pregnant women without preeclampsia and 22 women with preeclampsia. And the MTHFR genotype was determined with a polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Results were analyzed with a X2 contingency table and T-test. RESULTS: The prevalence of the MTHFR C677T mutation was not significantly different between the population studied. There was no significant difference in the level of plasma homocysteine, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglyceride, apoprotein B, and folate between controls and preeclamptic women. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the level of plasma vitamin B12 between the population studied. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the MTHFR C677T mutation is not a risk factor for preeclampsia in this population. Plasma homocysteine, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglyceride, apoprotein B, and folate level are not elevated in preeclamptic women. However, the plasma vitamin B12 level is elevated in preeclamptic women. Further studies are necessary to determine why the plasma vitamin B12 level is elevated in preelamptic women although they did not have vitamin drug.