Diabetes Mellitus and Pregnancy: An Insight into the Effects on the Epigenome

• Published in: Biomedicines Vol. 12; no. 2; p. 351
• Main Authors: Meza-León, Andrea, Montoya-Estrada, Araceli, Reyes-Muñoz, Enrique, Romo-Yáñez, José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-02-2024
• Subjects: Acetylation; Development and progression; Diabetes mellitus; DNA methylation; epigenetic changes; Epigenetic inheritance; Epigenetics; epigenome; fetal programming; Fetuses; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genotypes; gestational diabetes; Histones; Insulin resistance; Methylation; Phenotypes; pregestational diabetes; Pregnancy; Pregnant women; Type 2 diabetes; Womens health; epigenome; gestational diabetes; pregnancy; epigenetic changes; intrauterine development; pregestational diabetes; fetal programming
• ISSN: 2227-9059; 2227-9059
• DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12020351

Worldwide, diabetes mellitus represents a growing health problem. If it occurs during pregnancy, it can increase the risk of various abnormalities in early and advanced life stages of exposed individuals due to fetal programming occurring in utero. Studies have determined that maternal conditions interfere with the genotypes and phenotypes of offspring. Researchers are now uncovering the mechanisms by which epigenetic alterations caused by diabetes affect the expression of genes and, therefore, the development of various diseases. Among the numerous possible epigenetic changes in this regard, the most studied to date are DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation, as well as histone acetylation and methylation. This review article addresses critical findings in epigenetic studies involving diabetes mellitus, including variations reported in the expression of specific genes and their transgenerational effects.