Abstract:
Introduction: Preeclampsia (PE) remains a major contributor to maternal and fetal illness and death. Its development is complex, involving contributions from genetic and environmental factors, immune dysregulation, and impaired endothelial function. Meanwhile, there is a paucity of information on genetic predisposition to preeclampsia in pregnant Nigerian women.
Aims: This is a preliminary study that examined the association between IL4‑VNTR and eNOS polymorphisms and the risk of preeclampsia in pregnant Nigerian women, along with the contribution of plasma nitric oxide levels.
Materials and Methods: A case–control design was employed, involving blood samples from 73 participants (8 with preeclampsia and 65 controls) for DNA genotyping and plasma NO (nitric oxide) evaluation. IL4‑VNTR and eNOS G894T genetic polymorphisms were analysed using the PCR and PCR‑RFLP technique.
Results: Using unconditional logistic regression analysis, we found no statistically significant difference between the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for both genes. Observing (B2/B1 versus B1/B1, OR, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.11 to 3.73]; P = .63 and B2/B2 versus B1/B1; P = .18) for IL-4 VNTR polymorphism and (GT versus GG, OR, 2.17 [95% CI, 0.00 to 0.00]; P = .99 and TT versus GG; P = .99) for eNOS G894T polymorphism. Additionally, no associations were observed between these polymorphisms and key clinical parameters. Plasma nitric oxide levels (total nitrates and nitrites) also did not differ significantly between preeclamptic women and controls (425.22 ± 184.87 vs. 450.72 ± 139.28 µM; P = .543).
Conclusion: We observed no significant association between IL4‑VNTR and eNOS gene variants examined in this study to preeclampsia risk among pregnant Nigerian women; however, the small sample size limits definitive conclusions. Larger studies are recommended to validate these observations.