Search

Diabetes is associated with certain environmental exposures, heritable factors, and metabolic conditions of intrauterine development due to diabetes in the mother. We evaluated genomic damage, cell-free DNA, N-glycosylation of umbilical cord plasma proteins (PG), and nuclear division index (NDI) as possible prognostic biomarkers of health risk in the newborns of mothers with treated pregestational diabetes (NBDM; 22 mothers), compared these parameters with those from newborns of healthy mothers (NBHM; 89 mothers), and associated the results with the mothers’ lifestyle in both groups, based on a detailed questionnaire. Genomic damage was estimated by the in vitro micronucleus (MN) assay. NDI was detected on MN slides. Glycans were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography that separates the plasma N-glycome into 46 glycan peaks. Cell-free DNA was analyzed by real-time PCR. For the association between biomarkers and individual characteristics, generalized linear/nonlinear analysis was performed. No significant difference was found between NBHM and NBDM for cell-free DNA levels. There was no association between cell-free DNA levels and lifestyle. MN frequency was significantly higher in NBDM than in NBHM (median, 0.6 vs . 0.3%, p < 0.001). MN frequency and NDI were significantly associated with residence (urban vs . rural). PG differed significantly between NBHM and NBDM (p < 0.001). A significant association was found between PG and increase of MN frequency (p < 0.001). As both MN frequency and altered N-glycosylation are associated with cancer risk, our study indicates need for further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]