Epigenetic Immune Cell Counting to Analyze Potential Biomarkers in Preterm Infants: A Proof of Principle in Necrotizing Enterocolitis.
Int J Mol Sci
; 24(3)2023 Jan 25.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36768695
ABSTRACT
Epigenetic immune cell counting is a DNA (de)methylation-based technique which can be used to quantify lymphocyte subsets on dried blood spots (DBS). The foregoing techniques allow for a retrospective investigation of immune cell profiles in newborns. In this study, we used this technique for determining lymphocyte subcounts as a potential biomarker for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). We investigated whether this technique can be implemented in the field of neonatology, by testing whether regulatory T cell (Treg) levels are pre-existently low in preterms with NEC. Newborn screening (NBS) cards from 32 preterms with NEC and 32 age- and weight-matched preterm controls, and 60 healthy term newborns, were analyzed. Relative and absolute cell counts were determined for CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, Th17, and Treg T cells. For both relative and absolute cell counts of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and Th17 T cells, significant differences were found between healthy term controls and both preterm groups, but not between preterm groups. For Tregs, no significant differences were found in either relative or absolute counts between any of the newborn groups. This study demonstrates the principle of epigenetic immune cell counting to analyze lymphocyte subsets in preterm neonates.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Enterocolitis, Necrotizing
/
Fetal Diseases
/
Infant, Newborn, Diseases
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Observational_studies
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Newborn
Language:
En
Journal:
Int J Mol Sci
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Países Bajos