Association of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Gene Polymorphism in Mothers With Adverse Clinical Outcomes in Neonates

Background: The presence of polymorphic methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) in mothers poses a risk for numerous detrimental outcomes in neonates. The present study investigated the association of maternal MTHFR A1298C and C677T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the clinical outcomes in their neonates. Materials and methods: The cross-sectional study included 60 mothers and their neonates. Blood samples from mothers were analyzed for MTHFR A1298C and C677T SNP genotyping by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Clinical details of mothers and neonates were documented. Study groups were stratified based on wild, heterozygous, and mutant genotypes for the respective polymorphisms observed in mothers. Multinomial regression was applied for the association, followed by gene model formulation to estimate the impact of the genetic variants on the outcomes. Results: The frequency percentages of mutant CC1298 and TT677 genotypes were 25% and 8.06%, respectively, and the mutant allele frequencies (MAF) were 42.5% and 22.5%. Percentages of adverse outcomes such as intrauterine growth restriction, sepsis, anomalies, and mortality were higher in neonates born to mothers with homozygous mutant genotypes. Maternal C677T MTHFR SNPs revealed a significant association with neonatal anomalies (p = 0.001). The multiplicative risk model depicted OR (95% CI) for CT vs. CC+TT as 3.0 (95% CI: 0.66-13.7), and for TT vs. CT+CC was 15 (95% CI: 2.01-112.12). The C677T SNP in mothers predicted a dominant model for neonatal death (OR (95% CI): 5.84 (0.57-60.03), p = 0.15), whereas the A1298C reported recessive model for 1298CC mothers (OR (95% CI): 11 (1.05-115.5), p = 0.02). Both the genotypes assumed a recessive model for adverse neonatal outcomes: OR (95%CI) for CC vs. AA+AC was 3.2 (0.79-12.9, p = 0.1), and for TT vs. CC+CT was 5.48 (0.57-175.7, p = 0.2). The risk for sepsis in neonates was nearly six times higher in those born from mothers with homozygous CC1298 and TT677 than in the wild and heterozygous variants. Conclusion: Mothers with C677T and A1298C SNPs are highly susceptible to adverse outcomes in their neonates. Hence, screening the SNPs during the antenatal period can purposefully serve as a better predictive marker, following which proper clinical management could be planned.