Abstract
Objective
Recent reports have indicated that cell-free fetal DNA can be detected in the urine of pregnant women. We attempted to reproduce those data.
Methods
Urine samples were collected from 18 normal pregnant women (11 with a male fetus). Urinary DNA was examined by Y-chromosome-specific nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or real-time PCR. Samples were also examined from, two pregnancies complicated by HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets) syndrome, which had very high levels of cell-free fetal DNA in the maternal plasma. To validate our data, a quantitative comparison of different DNA extraction procedures used in the previous reports was performed.
Results
In no instance were we able to detect any fetal DNA in maternal urine, although copious quantities of cell-free fetal DNA were present in the maternal plasma of those pregnancies affected by HELLP syndrome. Our quantitative analysis of the various extraction procedures used indicated that the commercial column elution method we used was comparable, if not superior, to the noncommercial methods used in previous reports.
Conclusion
Our data strongly suggest that cell-free fetal DNA is not readily detectable in maternal urine, even under conditions known to increase kidney permeability.
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This work was supported in part by Swiss National Science Foundation grant number 3200-3200-055614.98/1 and National Institutes of Health (USA) contract number N01-HD-4-3202.
Preliminary data from this study were presented at the Second Conference on Circulation Nucleic Acids in Serum and Plasma (CNAPS), Hong Kong, February 20-21, 2001, and have been published in the conference proceedings (reference 18).
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Li, Y., Zhong, X.Y., Kang, A. et al. Inability to Detect Cell Free Fetal DNA in the Urine of Normal Pregnant Women nor in Those Affected by Preeclampsia Associated HELLP Syndrome. Reprod. Sci. 10, 503–508 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1071-55760300155-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1071-55760300155-2