Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 May 30;19(5):e0303778.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303778. eCollection 2024.

Interplay between vitamin D status, vitamin D receptor gene variants and preeclampsia risk in Ghanaian women: A case-control study

Linda Ahenkorah Fondjo  1 , Jonah Buah Mensah  1 , Enoch Ofori Awuah  1 , Samuel Asamoah Sakyi  1
Affiliations

Interplay between vitamin D status, vitamin D receptor gene variants and preeclampsia risk in Ghanaian women: A case-control study

Linda Ahenkorah Fondjo et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background and aim: Preeclampsia (PE) is characterized by hypertension and proteinuria mostly after 20 weeks of gestation. It affects 2-8% of pregnancies worldwide, with detrimental consequences for both mother and foetus. Evidence, suggests that genetic factors, including vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms, could contribute to PE complexity. However, their role in the Ghanaian population remains underexplored. We assessed the interplay between Vitamin D, VDR gene variants and preeclampsia risk in Ghanaian women.

Methods: This unmatched case-control study was conducted at Kumasi South Hospital, Ghana, from June to November 2022. A total of 162 participants consisting of 62 PE cases and 100 normotensive controls were enrolled. Clinical and obstetric data were collected. Blood samples were also collected for DNA extraction and vitamin D assay. Genotyping of VDR Fok1 and Bsm1 gene variants was performed using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis whereas Vitamin D levels were estimated using sandwich ELISA. Statistical analyses were computed with SPSS version 25 and GraphPad prism version 8.0. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Vitamin D concentration were significantly lower in the PE group (p < 0.0001). Vitamin D deficiency (aOR = 3.311, 95% CI: 1.584-6.921, p = 0.0010) was significantly associated with a three-fold increase in preeclampsia risk, whilst VDR gene variants, particularly the "bb" genotype (cOR = 0.227, 95% CI: 0.055-0.944, p = 0.0410) was associated with reduced risk of PE. There was no association between the distribution of Fok1 genotypes and PE.

Conclusion: This study highlights a significant association between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of PE among Ghanaian women. However, the VDR gene variant, "bb", genotype, for Bsm1 reduces the risk of PE.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Gel image post PCR-RFLP reaction for Fok1.
Gel image showing the restriction enzyme digestion for Fok1, corresponding lane numbers and their genotype descriptions 1–7 & 10–12 = “FF”, 8&9 = “Ff”.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Gel image post PCR-RFLP reaction for Bsm1.
Gel image showing the restriction enzyme digestion for Bsm1, corresponding lane numbers and their genotype descriptions are 7 & 10 = “BB”, 1, 2 & 4 = “Bb” and 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, & 12 = “bb”.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Vitamin D status among the study participants.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Allelic distribution of Fokl among study participants.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Allelic distribution of Bsm1 among study participants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Jung E, Romero R, Yeo L, Gomez-Lopez N, Chaemsaithong P, Jaovisidha A, et al.. The etiology of preeclampsia. Vol. 226, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Mosby; 2022. p. S844–66. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2021.11.1356 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adu-Bonsaffoh K, Samuel OA, Binlinla G, Samuel OA. Maternal deaths attributable to hypertensive disorders in a tertiary hospital in Ghana. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2013. Nov 1;123(2):110–3. - PubMed
    1. Purswani JM, Gala P, Dwarkanath P, Larkin HM, Kurpad A, Mehta S. The role of vitamin D in pre-eclampsia: A systematic review. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth [Internet]. 2017. Jul 15 [cited 2023 May 5];17(1):1–15. Available from: https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884... - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhao X, Fang R, Yu R, Chen D, Zhao J, Xiao J. Maternal vitamin D status in the late second trimester and the risk of severe preeclampsia in Southeastern China. Nutrients. 2017;9(2). doi: 10.3390/nu9020138 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kaushal M, Magon N. Review Article Vitamin D in pregnancy: A metabolic outlook. 2013;17(1). - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms