title: Is asymmetric dimethylarginine associated with being born small and large for gestational age?
abstract: Low and high birth weights have been linked to increased susceptibility to cardiovascular and metabolic alterations. However, the natural history of cardiometabolic disturbances in children born small (SGA) and large (LGA) for gestational age is still unclear and no reliable biomarker of cardiovascular risk has definitively been identified in these subjects. Interestingly, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), antagonist of nitric oxide (NO) production, has been recognized as novel cardiovascular marker able to identify subjects at higher risk of health disturbances. Despite the well-described role of ADMA as a predictor of degenerative disease in adults, its potential application in pediatrics, and specifically in SGA and LGA children, has not been explored as only few data in preterm infants and SGA newborns are available. Therefore, we investigated potential alterations in circulating ADMA and NO levels in SGA and LGA children compared with those born appropriate (AGA) for gestational age. Of note, ADMA was significantly higher in SGA and LGA children than AGA peers. Intriguingly, SGA and LGA categories as well as insulin resistance were independently related to ADMA. Our observations lead to the intriguing hypothesis that ADMA could be involved in the development of cardiometabolic alterations in SGA and LGA children already during the prepubertal age.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Paediatrics, University of Chieti , Chieti, Italy .
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chiavaroli
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Diesse
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: de Giorgis
authors.forename: Cosimo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giannini
authors.forename: Maria Loredana
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Marcovecchio
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiarelli
authors.forename: Angelika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohn
mesh_terms: D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001724:Birth Weight; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C018524:N,N-dimethylarginine; D001120:Arginine