Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the role of the β-2-adrenoceptor (ADRB2) polymorphisms occurring at amino acid positions 16 (arginin to glycine) and 27 (glutamine to glutamic acid) in preeclampsia. A group of 66 patients with preeclampsia and 72 control subjects were analyzed for the Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu polymorphisms of the ADRB2 by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Comparisons of the ADRB2 genotypes or alleles between different groups were performed using chi-square test. We found a significant association (P = 0.01) between the Gln27Glu substitution and preeclampsia. The Glu27 allele and Glu/Glu and Gln/Glu genotypes were significantly more common in preeclampsia group when compared with control subjects (25 versus 39%, P = 0.02 and 14 versus 5%, 50 versus 39%, P = 0.01, respectively). Our results imply that the existence of Glu27 allele may confer susceptibility to preeclampsia in Turkish population.

Key words:  β-2-Adrenoceptor, preeclampsia, polymorphism.