Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41560044›Full record

ArticleMedicine2026

Dissecting the relationship between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and branched-chain amino acids: An integrated investigation combining Mendelian randomization, transcriptomics, and machine learning.

Yongquan Zheng, Dongxu Qin, Xiaoqian Zhang, Hao Sun, Weidong Fei, Yao Yao

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Yongquan ZhengDepartment of Pharmacy, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.ORCID 0000-0002-6091-8265
Dongxu QinDepartment of Pharmacy, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
Xiaoqian ZhangDepartment of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
Hao SunDepartment of Pharmacy, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
Weidong FeiDepartment of Pharmacy, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
Yao YaoDepartment of Pharmacy, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4560-6861

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Empirical investigations have identified associations between elevated branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) levels and an increased incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). The aim of this study is to rigorously explore the causal linkage between BCAAs concentrations and the risk of developing HDP. A bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to ascertain the causal relationship between BCAAs levels and the risk of HDP. Instrumental genetic variables derived from the genome-wide association studies of serum BCAAs levels - encompassing total BCAAs, leucine, isoleucine and valine from the UK Biobank, and HDP data (16,417 cases and 213,893 controls) from the FinnGen consortium - were utilized. We conducted inverse-variance weighted, MR-Egger, simple mode, and weighted MR estimates. To assess the heterogeneity and potential presence of horizontal pleiotropy among the instrumental variables, Cochran Q statistic and the MR-Egger intercept were employed. Simultaneously, transcriptomic data were utilized in conjunction with machine learning to identify key genes through which BCAAs influence HDP. Single-cell techniques were employed to analyze the major cell populations. The forward MR analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between the levels of total BCAAs (OR: 1.300, 95% CI: 1.117-1.462; P < .0001), leucine (OR: 1.096, 95% CI: 1.123-1.505; P < .0001), and valine (OR: 1.299, 95% CI: 1.141-1.478; P < .0001) with the risk of HDP. Isoleucine levels (OR: 1.266, 95% CI: 1.054-1.521; P = .012) demonstrated a positive association with HDP risk that did not reach statistical significance after Bonferroni correction. The reverse analysis revealed no causal effect of HDP on the levels of total BCAAs (OR: 0.992, 95% CI: 0.967-1.018; P = .543), leucine (OR: 1.005, 95% CI: 0.973-1.039; P = .750), isoleucine (OR: 1.000, 95% CI: 0.974-1.026; P = .973), and valine (OR: 0.988, 95% CI: 0.962-1.014; P = .354). Transcriptomic analysis identified MCCC2 and BCAT2 as key genes through which BCAAs affect the occurrence of HDP, and these genes are predominantly expressed in endothelial cells. We provide robust evidence Our findings suggest that HDP was associated with an increased level of BCAAs, and the effects may be related to the expression levels of MCCC2 and BCAT2 in endothelial cells.

Indexed as

Amino Acids, Branched-ChainHypertension, Pregnancy-InducedMachine LearningFemaleGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansIsoleucineLeucineMendelian Randomization AnalysisPolymorphism, Single NucleotidePregnancyTranscriptomeValineAmino Acids, Branched-ChainIsoleucineLeucineValineBCAT2branched-chain amino acidshypertensive disorders of pregnancyMCCC2

Identifiers

PMID41560044
PMCPMC12826240

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.