OBJECTIVETo assess the allele and genotype frequencies of the estrogen receptor alpha ( ESR alpha) Pvu II and Xba I polymorphisms in patients with severe preeclampsia and compare them with those of normal pregnant women.

METHODSBlood samples from 131 patients with severe preeclampsia and 223 normal pregnant women from Chinese Han in Chengdu area were analyzed, using PCR-RFLP method. Pregnant patients with blood pressure exceeding 140/90 mmHg (or 18.7/12 kPa) were recruited with a strict definition of preeclampsia. Genotyping was performed using PCR-RFLP for Pvu II and Xba I polymorphisms in the ESR alpha gene.

RESULTSThe T and C allele frequencies for Pvu II site were 0.580 and 0.420 in the patient group, and 0.576 and 0.424 in the controls, respectively. The A and G allele frequencies for Xba I site were 0.763 and 0.237 in the patient group, and 0.807 and 0.193 in control group, respectively. No significant difference in the allele frequencies of either site was observed between the two groups. However, the CC homozygotes or CT heterozygotes in the control pregnant women had higher systolic blood pressure levels than TT homozygotes for Pvu II site after the data was adjusted for age and BMI (114.00+/-21.44 mmHg or 114.33+/-1.21 mmHg vs. 108.62+/-1.91 mmHg, P<0.05). No genotype effect on the blood pressures was found for Pvu II site in the case group, nor for Xba I site in either group.

CONCLUSIONOur work has excluded the association of the ESRalpha Pvu II and Xb I polymorphism with severe preeclampsia in a Southwest Chinese population, although this polymorphism may be associated with the systolic blood pressure level in the normal pregnant women.