Newborn APOE genotype influences maternal lipid profile and the severity of high-risk pregnancy - preeclampsia: Interaction with maternal genotypes as a modulating risk factor in preeclampsia.

Aim: To establish the role of the interaction between maternal and newborn apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotypes on the risk, lipid profile and prognosis of preeclampsia (PE).
Materials and Methods: Forty-seven preeclamptic women and 94 normotensive pregnant women and their newborns were genotyped for APOE using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis.
Results: Maternal APOE-ε4 allele was associated with an about eight times higher risk of PE (adjusted OR = 8.4, 95% CI: 2.51-28.17, p = 0.001). The multivariate logistic regression model showed that the newborn APOE-ε4 allele was associated with an about six times higher risk of PE (adjusted OR = 5.6, 95% CI: 2.09-15.21, p = 0.001) for the given gestational age levels. Pregnant women with severe PE whose newborns carried the APOE-ε4 allele delivered at earlier gestational ages neonates with a lower birth weight compared to pregnant women with newborns negative for this allele. Higher TG and LDL-C levels and lower HDL-C levels were found in pregnant women with severe PE whose newborns were carriers of the APOE-ε4 allele compared to preeclamptic women whose newborns were carriers of the ε3/ε3 genotype. If we checked the combined effect of the mother/newborn genotypes on the risk of PE, we found that the risk to develop PE was 15.4-fold (p < 0.001) increased if mothers or newborns were carriers of the APOE-ε4 allele. The risk increased to 20.02 (p < 0.001) if both the mother and newborn were carriers of the APOE-ε4 allele.
Conclusions: Our study confirms the maternal/newborn APOE genotype interaction influences the risk for PE, as well as prognosis and lipid profile.