Association between micronutrients and maternal leukocyte telomere length in early pregnancy in Rwanda

Abstract

Background Exposure to environmental stressors can lead to shorter leukocyte telomere length and increase the risk of chronic diseases. Preservation of leukocyte telomere length by reducing oxidative stress exposure and reinforcing immunity may be a mechanism by which nutritional factors delay or prevent chronic disease development. Methods Healthy pregnant women (aged 18–45 years) at 9–15 weeks of gestation living in Gasabo District, Kigali, Rwanda, were recruited from 10 health centers for a prospective, longitudinal study from September to October 2017 to determine possible associations between nutrition health, infectious disease and leukocyte telomere length. Anthropometric and laboratory measurements were performed using standard procedures; sociodemographic parameters and health histories were assessed via surveys, and leukocyte telomere length was assessed using quantitative PCR expressed as the ratio of a telomeric product to a single-copy gene product (T/S). Results Mean gestational age of participants (n = 297) at enrollment was 13.04 ± 3.50 weeks, age was 28.16 ± 6.10 years and leukocyte telomere length was 1.16 ± 0.22 (T/S). Younger age; no schooling vs. primary schooling; and lower levels of ferritin, soluble transferrin receptors and retinol-binding protein were independent predictors of longer telomere length in multivariable models. Conclusions Leukocyte telomere length is an indicator of biological aging in pregnant Rwandan women. Maternal micronutrient status, specifically lower ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor levels, and retinol-binding protein levels were associated with longer maternal telomere length in contrast with some studies from North America and Europe. There were no associations between inflammation and infectious disease status and maternal leukocyte telomere length. Further studies are needed to enhance our understanding of the interplay between maternal nutritional status and infectious disease in relation to leukocyte telomere length in developing countries.

Univariable and multivariable Mendelian randomization investigating the effects of telomere length on the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes

“…Alrefaei et al discovered that the telomere length of human fetal mesenchymal stem cells (hFM MSCs) in mothers aged 30-39 and 40 was substantially shorter compared to that of young mothers aged 20-29 (15). A study conducted by Nsereko et al on 297 expectant women from Rwanda revealed a significant negative correlation between maternal age and the TL of peripheral blood leukocytes, consistent with the findings of studies on fetal membrane TL (16). Moreover, similar to TL of placental or fetal membrane, multiple studies have also found an association between maternal peripheral blood leukocyte TL and APOs.…”

Cellular aging and telomere dynamics in pregnancy

“…Most studies that are available on telomeres in pregnancy focus on fetal or neonatal telomeres rather than maternal telomeres. One recent study focusing on maternal telomeres was conducted by Nsereko et al [19 ▪ ] They prospectively studied maternal leukocyte telomere length among 297 healthy pregnant people in Rwanda during the first trimester of pregnancy. In their study, the mean ± SD of maternal leukocyte telomere length (which is commonly reported as a telomere to single-copy gene T/S ratio if analyzed via quantitative polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) was 1.17 ± 0.23 in the first trimester.…”

An exploratory analysis of leukocyte telomere length among pregnant and non-pregnant people

“…It is possible that the immunotolerant state of pregnancy ( Oreshkova et al, 2012 ) might create a resilient environment that protects LTL from degradation that would normally occur via stress-related pathways ( Fouquerel et al, 2019 ; Von Zglinicki, 2002 ). In fact, one study from Rwanda which might provide support for this hypothesis did not find correlations between short LTL and pro-inflammatory biomarkers such as CRP in pregnancy ( Nsereko et al, 2020 ). Replicating our results in a larger study and determining how LTL fits into the larger biochemical mileu of pregnancy ( Aghaeepour et al, 2017 ) is are important next steps to aid in interpreting our results.…”