Abstract
Background and aim
Maternal diet and early nutrition of newborns may affect the phenotype later in adulthood. Susceptibility of epigenetic mechanisms to the nutritional environment is a critical element in neonatal development. Epigenetic mechanisms could be considered as a bridge between environmental stimuli and long lasting phenotype. IC2, a key region on 11p15, is involved in the control of growth and regulates CDKN1C, PHLDA2 and KCNQ1, growth inhibitor genes. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between epigenetic markers, nutrition and postnatal growth.
Methods
We enrolled 37 newborns (gestational age at birth was <34 weeks) admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital of Pisa.
Results
We observed a relationship between reduced protein and lipid intake and IC2 hypermethylation (p = .003 and p = .001 respectively) and we also investigated the correlation between growth pattern and IC2 methylation.
Conclusion
The reduced growth, in part related to a reduced intake of nutrients (lipids and proteins), might be due to IC2 hypermethylation, causing an increased expression of growth inhibitor genes. IC2 hypermethylation could be a marker of reduced infants’ growth and may guides us to nutritional interventional strategies for a precocious prevention of extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.