The Total Serum Homocysteine and Folate by C677T Methylene-tetrahydrofolate Reductase Mutation in Korean Preeclamptic Pregnant Women / 대한산부인과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the C677T Methylene-TetraHydroFolate Reductase (MTHFR) polymorphism affects the total maternal serum homocysteine and folate concentration in preeclamptic pregnant women. METHODS: Patients admitted to the hospital for the delivery during 2000-2002. 126 controls without the pregnancy complications and 34 patients with severe preeclampsia were enrolled. The serum homocysteine analysis was conducted using the high performance liquid chromatography methods. The serum folate and vitamin B12 concentration were determined using a radioimmunoassay kit. The C677T MTHFR gene mutation was examined by the polymerase chain reaction of the genomic DNA fragments. RESULTS: The total maternal serum homocysteine concentration and the serum vitamin B12 concentration were not significantly different between controls and the preeclampsia patients (p=0.44 for homocysteine, p=0.06 for vitamin B12). However, the maternal serum folate concentration was significantly higher in the preeclampsia patients than in controls (27.00 +/- 9.54 nmol/L versus 18.03 +/- 12.97 nmol/L, respectively, p=0.01). The total maternal serum homocysteine concentration, the serum folate concentration, and serum vitamin B12 in the C677T MTHFR CC type and TT type were not significantly different (p=0.21 for homocysteine, p=0.22 for folate, p=0.14 for vitamin B12). CONCLUSION: The C677T MTHFR mutation does not significantly affect the maternal homocysteine and folate concentration in both the controls without pregnancy complication and the preeclampsia patients.