The etiology and pathogenesis of
preeclampsia remain unclear. Little is known about the possible impact of
adiponectin gene polymorphisms on the pathogenesis of
preeclampsia. In this study, we analyzed the association of two
adiponectin single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with
preeclampsia. One hundred eighty-eight Han Chinese pregnant women were enrolled (81 normal-term, 20 mild
preeclampsia and 87 severe cases). Serum
adiponectin level, and
adiponectin exon 2 SNP +45T/G (rs2241766) genotype and intron 2 SNP +276G/T genotype (rs1501299) and their allele distributions were tested with
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay and PCR-restriction-fragment length polymorphism, respectively. There were no significant differences among the three groups (P>0.05) in genotype distribution or allele frequencies of either SNP. Systolic pressure and 24-h urinary
protein were lower in TT homozygotes than those in TG+GG patients at SNP +45T/G in the severe preeclamptic group (P<0.05). Furthermore, blood pressure, serum
adiponectin level and 24-h urinary
protein were lower in GG homozygotes than those in TG+TT patients at SNP +276G/T in the severe preeclamptic group (P<0.05). The risk of
high blood pressure (≥160/110 mm Hg) and of high serum
adiponectin in T-allele carriers at +276G/T in the severe preeclamptic group were 5.345 and 5.818 times higher, respectively, compared with GG patients. These data suggest that
adiponectin +45T/G and +276G/T polymorphisms are associated with important clinical manifestations of
preeclampsia and that polymorphism +276G/T is associated with serum
adiponectin level. Taken together, these findings suggest that
adiponectin gene polymorphism is involved in the pathogenesis of
preeclampsia.