Allergy Asthma Immunol Res.  2019 May;11(3):357-366. 10.4168/aair.2019.11.3.357.

Leukocyte Telomere Length Reflects Prenatal Stress Exposure, But Does Not Predict Atopic Dermatitis Development at 1 Year

• Suh DI
• Kang MJ
• Park YM
• Lee JK
• Lee SY
• Sheen YH
• Kim KW
• Ahn K
• Won HS
• Lee MY
• Choi SJ
• Kwon JY
• Park HJ
• Jun JK
• Hong SJ
• Koh YY

• KMID: 2442047
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aair.2019.11.3.357

Abstract

PURPOSE
Prenatal maternal stress affects offspring's atopic dermatitis (AD) development, which is thought to be mediated by the oxidative stress. We aimed to evaluate the difference in leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a marker for exposure to oxidative stress, according to the prenatal stress exposure and the later AD development.
METHODS
From a birth cohort (the COhort for Childhood Origin of Asthma and allergic diseases) that had displayed a good epidemiologic association between the exposure to prenatal stress and AD development in the offspring, we selected 68 pairs of samples from 4 subject groups based on the level of prenatal maternal stress and later AD development. The LTL was measured from both cord blood and 1-year peripheral blood, and their LTLs were compared between subject groups. Finally, the proportion of AD development was examined in the subject groups that are reclassified based on subjects' exposure to prenatal stress and there LTL.
RESULTS
Cord-blood LTL was shorter in prenatally stressed infants than in unstressed ones (P = 0.026), which difference was still significant when subjects became 1 year old (P = 0.008). LTL of cord blood, as well as one of the 1-year peripheral blood, was not different according to later AD development at 1 year (P = 0.915 and 0.174, respectively). Shorter LTL made no increase in the proportion of later AD development in either prenatally high-stressed or low-stressed groups (P = 1.000 and 0.473, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS
Cord-blood LTL may reflect subjects' exposure to maternal prenatal stress. However, the LTL shortening is not a risk factor of increasing AD development until the age of 1, and a longer investigation may be necessary for validation. Currently, the results doubt the role of LTL shortening as a marker for risk assessment tool for the prenatal stress associated with AD development in the offspring.

Keyword

Atopic dermatitis; cohort studies; child; cord blood; telomere shortening; psychological stress

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Child
Cohort Studies
Dermatitis, Atopic*
Fetal Blood
Humans
Infant
Leukocytes*
Oxidative Stress
Parturition
Risk Assessment
Risk Factors
Stress, Psychological
Telomere Shortening
Telomere*

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Comparison of the telomere length of cord blood leukocytes according to (A) exposure to prenatal stress and (B) AD development. The telomere lengths from 1-year-old peripheral blood were also compared according to (C) exposure to prenatal stress and (D) AD at the age of 1 year. AD, atopic dermatitis; HSWD, high stress with later atopic dermatitis; HSOD, high stress without atopic dermatitis development; LSWD, low stress with later atopic dermatitis; LSOD, low stress without atopic dermatitis development.

• 

  Fig. 2 Changes in telomere length between cord blood and 1-year-old peripheral blood leukocytes from subjects in the (A) HSWD, (B) HSOD, (C) LSWD and (D) LSOD groups. HSWD, high stress with later atopic dermatitis; HSOD, high stress without atopic dermatitis development; LSWD, low stress with later atopic dermatitis; LSOD, low stress without atopic dermatitis development.

• 

  Fig. 3 Box- and-Whisker plots showing (A) the telomere lengths from 1-year-old peripheral blood leukocytes and (B) the decrease in the telomere length during the first year of life between groups according to stress exposure and later AD development. Horizontal small bars represent the 10th–90th percentile range, and the boxes indicate the median and IQR. AD, atopic dermatitis; HSWD, high stress with later atopic dermatitis; HSOD, high stress without atopic dermatitis development; LSWD, low stress with later atopic dermatitis; LSOD, low stress without atopic dermatitis development; IQR, interquartile range.

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