Three Years Follow-Up Study Showed Prenatal Methamphetamine Exposure May Cause Chronic Abnormalities In Transcriptomic Pattern

Abstract

Background: The high rate of methamphetamine use disorder among young adults and women of childbearing age makes it imperative to clarify the long-term effects of Methamphetamine exposure on the offspring. Behavioral and cognitive problems had been reported in children with parental Methamphetamine exposure (PME). The present study aimed to assess the acute and chronic effects of PME in molecular regulations and gene expression profiles of children during their first years of life.Methods: All subjects were recruited before birth, and sampling was conducted from the first ten days of birth, twelve months, twenty months, and thirty-six months of age. Finally, 2658 children with PME and 3573 normal children had been finished the follow-up. RNA extraction was operated from blood samples and gene expression profiling was conducted by using the Affymetrix GeneChip Human Genome U133 plus 2.0 Array Platform. Gene expression data were confirmed by Real-time PCR. Results: Gene expression profiling during thirty-six months showed several constant mRNA level alterations in children with PME compared with normal. These genes are involved in several gene ontologies and pathways involved with the immune system, neuronal functions, and bioenergetic metabolism. It seems that Methamphetamine use disorder before and during the pregnancy period may affect the expression profile of children, and these changes could remain years after birth. Affected genes have some similarities with the gene expression patterns of addiction, psychiatric disorders, neurodevelopmental disabilities, and immune deficiencies. Conclusion: Findings may shed light on the molecular effects of prenatal methamphetamine exposure and may lead to new psychological and somatic caring protocols for these children based on their potential abnormalities.