engleski

Gene polymorphisms of tumor necrosis factor alpha in women with spontaneous preterm birth

Goal: Preterm birth (PTB) is defined as birth before the 37th completed week of gestation and is the leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Although up to 25% of PTBs are medically induced, the majority is initiated spontaneously (SPTB or idiopathic PTB), accounting for approximately 50 % of all cases. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) is a critical proinflammatory cytokine involved in the remodeling of cervix and fetal membranes by promoting collagen degradation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the potential association of TNFα rs361525 -238 G/A and TNFα rs1800629 -308 G/A gene polymorphisms with SPTB in Slavic women, and their contribution to clinical characteristics of women with SPTB. Material and methods: A total of 138 women with SPTB and 139 women with term delivery were included in a case-control study. All women with SPTB had singleton pregnancies following natural conception and spontaneous initiation of PTB before the 37th week of gestation. None of the women had known risk factors for PTB, including diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, autoimmune conditions, allergic diseases, birth canal infections, in vitro fertilization and complications of pregnancy. The control group consisted of 139 women who had a term birth of a singleton baby after an uncomplicated pregnancy and were of the same age and parity as patients. Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism methods. Results: We found a statistically significant higher frequency of the TNFα -238 AG genotype (X2=7.32 ; P=0.025) and A allele (X2=7.48 ; P=0.006) in women with SPTB compared to controls. Additionally, the odds for SPTB in women were increased under the dominant genetic model (AA+AGvsGG: OR=3.20 ; 95% CI=1.30- 7.83 ; P=0.011). There were no statistically significant differences in genotype and allele frequencies of TNFα -308 G/A between SPTB patients and controls. Moreover, no significant associations of the TNFα -308 G/A and SPTB occurred. None of the polymorphisms contributed to the clinical characteristics of women with SPTB. Conclusion: Our results indicate that maternal TNFα rs361525 -238 G/A might be susceptibility factor for SPTB.

Pregnancy ; Preterm birth ; Single nucleotide polymorphism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha

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