Homocysteine metabolism in children and adolescents: influence of age on plasma biomarkers and correspondent genotype interactions

Araújo, Helena Caldeira; Ramos, Ruben; Florindo, Cristina; Rivera, Isabel; Castro, Rita; Almeida, Isabel Tavares de

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.13/4425

Use this identifier to reference this record.

Name:	Description:	Size:	Format:
Homocysteine Metabolism in Children and Adolescents.pdf		1.02 MB	Adobe PDF	Download

Send Feedback

Authors

Araújo, Helena Caldeira

Almeida, Isabel Tavares de

Abstract(s)

Background: Imbalance of homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism links with several pathologies; nevertheless, it is poorly characterized in pediatric populations. This study investigated the impact of age on plasma concentrations of Hcy and relevant biomarkers along with correspondent genotype interactions. Methods: A healthy pediatric cohort aged 9 (n = 195) and 17 (n = 128) years old (yo) was studied. Immunoassays and GC-MS-SIM-mode quantified plasma levels of Hcy and biomarkers. PCR-RFLP or quantitative-PCR assays assessed common variations in related genes. Results: Age impacted on levels of Hcy and metabolic markers: older children presented with the lowest folates and total-cobalamin (tCbl), while with the highest Hcy concentrations, whereas methylmalonic acid (MMA) and holotranscobalamin (Holo-TC) levels remained similar in 9-yo and 17-yo children. The relationships between B-vitamins and metabolic markers were also dependent on age. Only in the older children, MMA correlated with tCbl and Holo-TC, and MMA levels were markedly higher in the 17-yo subjects presenting with the lowest quartiles of Holo-TC concentrations. Lastly, age also impacted on the correlations between genotype and biomarkers. In the 17-yo group, however not in the 9-yo children, tHcy differed between MTHFR 677 genotypes, with subjects who had the MTHFR 677TT genotype displaying the highest tHcy concentrations. Conclusions: Age impacts on the Hcy metabolism dynamics in a pediatric population.

Keywords

Vitamin B12 Methylmalonic acid Folate Homocysteine MTHFR . Faculdade de Ciências da Vida

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.13/4425

Citation

Araújo, H. C., Ramos, R., Florindo, C., Rivera, I., Castro, R., & Almeida, I. T. (2019). Homocysteine metabolism in children and adolescents: influence of age on plasma biomarkers and correspondent genotype interactions. Nutrients, 11(3), 646.