Objective: To assess whether methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase(MTHFR) gene C677T polymorphism is associated with neural tube defects and preeclampsia.
Methods: Twenty- four mothers who had given birth to normal children, 27 mothers who had given birth to NTDs children, 120 normal women, and 57 women who had suffered from preeclampsia were genotyped for C677T polymorphism by using PCR/RFLP method.
Results: (1) VV genotype frequency in the normal mothers group it was 0.13, while in the NTDs mothers group it was 0.33; mothers with VV genotype were at 3 times increased risk to have a NTDs child, compared with the normal mothers. (2) In the normal women group VV genotype frequency was 0.15, while in the preeclampsia women group it was 0.31; women with VV genotype were at 2.5 times increased risk to have preeclampsia, compared with the normal women.
Conclusion: The authors believe that MTHFR VV genotype is associated with the development of NTDs and preeclampsia.