Association between NOS3 gene rs1799983 polymorphism and the risk of developing preeclampsia as well as susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy

Introduction . Preeclampsia (РЕ) is a complication of pregnancy resulting from a generalized vascular dysfunction. Systemic endotheliopathy also emerges due to a viral infection such as caused by SARS-CoV-2. A verified marker of endothelial damage is a decrease in endothelial cell-produced nitric oxide (NO) level. NOS3 is a gene encoding the enzyme endothelial nitric oxide synthase responsible for NO synthesis. Aim : to assess an association between rs1799983 single nucleotide polymorphism in NOS3 gene and the risk of developing РЕ as well as susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy in women living in the Republic of Tatarstan. Materials and Methods. A case-control retrospective observational study with 416 women was conducted at the Sadykov City Clinical Hospital No. 7. Patients were divided into the following groups: group 1 – 119 patients with РЕ, without signs of viral infection; group 2 – 98 pregnant women with moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection without hypertensive disorders. Control group consisted of 199 pregnant women with normotension during gestation period, with no signs of viral infection. Maternal whole blood specimens were analyzed in the study. NOS3 gene rs1799983 polymorphism was genotyped using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results . A comparatively assessed prevalence of NOS3 gene rs1799983 genotypes demonstrated statistical significance between group of patients with РЕ and control group (p < 0.05). Carriage of the G allele and the G/G genotype in NOS3 gene rs1799983 polymorphism is associated with risk of developing РЕ. No association between carriage of NOS3 gene rs1799983 polymorphism and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women was observed (p > 0.05). Conclusion . The study revealed the association between the carriage of NOS3 gene rs1799983 polymorphism and a risk of developing РЕ but not with SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility during pregnancy in women living in the Republic of Tatarstan.