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NR3C1 gene methylation and cortisol levels in preterm and healthy full-term infants in the first 3 months of life

2022; Future Medicine; Volume: 14; Issue: 24 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2217/epi-2022-0444

1750-1911

Geórgia Chalfun, Aline de Araújo Brasil, Vitor Barreto Paravidino, Sheila Coelho Soares-Lima, Monique de Souza Almeida Lopes, Margarida dos Santos Salú, Paulo Victor Barbosa Eleutério dos Santos, Ana Carolina P da Cunha Trompiere, Leo Travassos Vieira Milone, Gustavo Rodrigues-Santos, Mariana Barros Genuíno de Oliveira, Jaqueline Rodrigues Robaina, Fernanda Lima‐Setta, Marcelo Reis, Antônio José Lêdo Alves da Cunha, Arnaldo Prata‐Barbosa, Maria Clara de Magalhães‐Barbosa,

Birth, Development, and Health

Aim: To describe NR3C1 exon-1F methylation and cortisol levels in newborns. Materials & methods: Preterm ≤1500 g and full-term infants were included. Samples were collected at birth and at days 5, 30 and 90 (or at discharge). Results: 46 preterm and 49 full-term infants were included. Methylation was stable over time in full-term infants (p = 0.3116) but decreased in preterm infants (p = 0.0241). Preterm infants had higher cortisol levels on the fifth day, while full-term infants showed increasing levels (p = 0.0177) over time. Conclusion: Hypermethylated sites in NR3C1 at birth and higher cortisol levels on day 5 suggest that prematurity, reflecting prenatal stress, affects the epigenome. Methylation decrease over time in preterm infants suggests that postnatal factors may modify the epigenome, but their role needs to be clarified.We investigated the methylation of a gene, NR3C1 exon-1F, and cortisol levels in newborns. DNA methylation is a biochemical process that can modify gene activity. In the case of this gene, higher methylation might be associated with higher cortisol levels. We studied 46 preterm infants (born weighing 1500 g or less) and 49 full-term infants. Our results revealed that the preterm infants had hypermethylation at birth and higher cortisol levels on day 5, but decreasing methylation and stable cortisol levels over time. Meanwhile, methylation remained stable and cortisol levels increased in full-term babies with time. These unexpected results suggest that prematurity can be associated with prenatal epigenetic changes in the NR3C1 gene, but postnatal factors may induce further modifications. More research is needed to understand these findings better.