Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Interleukin-1-β Polymorphisms in Pre-Eclampsia.

BACKGROUND Pre-eclampsia is the most common critical condition during pregnancy. Plasma concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β) increase in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia, compared to normal pregnant women. OBJECTIVE To investigate the polymorphisms of IL-1β (C+3954T), TNF-α (G-308A), and (G-238A) in pre-eclemptic women in northeastern Iran. METHODS This study was conducted on 153 pre-eclamptic women (case group) and 150 healthy pregnant women (control group), admitted to Ghaem and Imam Reza hospitals of Mashhad, Iran. IL-1β (C+3954T), TNF- α (G-238A) and TNF-α (G-308A) gene polymorphisms in the promoter region were screened by polymerase chain reaction. Data were analyzed, using SPSS version 16.0. RESULTS The mean age of the participants in the case and control groups was 28.2 ± 6.1 and 27.1 ± 6.3 years, respectively (P=0.68). The frequency of G-308A polymorphism was significantly higher in the case group, compared to the control group (p<0.001). However, no significant relationship was found between IL-1β genotype and pre-eclampsia (p=0.39). The frequency of TNF- α (G-238A) AA genotype was significantly higher in the case group, while GG genotype was less frequently detected in the case group, compared to the control group (p<0.001 for both genotypes). Moreover, the frequencies of AA genotypes of -238 TNF-α and G-308A polymorphisms were significantly higher in the case group, compared to the control group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION The significant correlation between inflammation promoting genotypes of TNF-α and pre-eclampsia is noteworthy and provides evidence on the contribution of immune related genes in this disease.