Role of parental age in newborn telomere length prolongation

Sadia Farrukh; Saeeda Baig; Aliya Irshad Sani; Sadia Farrukh; Saeeda Baig; Aliya Irshad Sani

doi:10.3934/molsci.2024009

AIMS Molecular Science

2024, Volume 11, Issue 2: 140-149. doi: 10.3934/molsci.2024009

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Research article

Role of parental age in newborn telomere length prolongation

1.
Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
2.
Department of Biochemistry, Ziauddin University, Karachi, Pakistan

Received: 14 November 2023 Revised: 21 February 2024 Accepted: 11 March 2024 Published: 01 April 2024

Telomere length, a marker of biological aging, can be altered by parental telomere genetics. In this study, we aimed to find an association between parental age and newborn telomere length (TL) and deterioration patterns in parents and newborns. This was a cross-sectional study on 204 parent–newborn pairs from September 2021 to July 2022. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to measure the telomere length (T/S ratio). A correlation and linear regression were used for the association between newborn TL and parental age. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.185, p = 0.007) between the fathers' age and newborn TL. However, regression analysis highlighted an association between the mother's as well as the father's age and newborn TL (B = 0.032, 0.04; p = 0.09, 0.009). The old-age mothers (35.1–40 years old) had newborn girls with longer TL; however, old-age fathers (35.1–45 years old) had boys with longer TL (1.94 ± 0.72, 2.48 ± 1.22) (p = 0.23). Therefore, longer telomere length was seen in newborns of older parents. Moreover, parental age, especially the father's age, showed an association with newborns' telomere genetics.
- telomere,
- telomerase,
- telomere length,
- newborn,
- aging
Citation: Sadia Farrukh, Saeeda Baig, Aliya Irshad Sani. Role of parental age in newborn telomere length prolongation[J]. AIMS Molecular Science, 2024, 11(2): 140-149. doi: 10.3934/molsci.2024009

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Abstract

Telomere length, a marker of biological aging, can be altered by parental telomere genetics. In this study, we aimed to find an association between parental age and newborn telomere length (TL) and deterioration patterns in parents and newborns. This was a cross-sectional study on 204 parent–newborn pairs from September 2021 to July 2022. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to measure the telomere length (T/S ratio). A correlation and linear regression were used for the association between newborn TL and parental age. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.185, p = 0.007) between the fathers' age and newborn TL. However, regression analysis highlighted an association between the mother's as well as the father's age and newborn TL (B = 0.032, 0.04; p = 0.09, 0.009). The old-age mothers (35.1–40 years old) had newborn girls with longer TL; however, old-age fathers (35.1–45 years old) had boys with longer TL (1.94 ± 0.72, 2.48 ± 1.22) (p = 0.23). Therefore, longer telomere length was seen in newborns of older parents. Moreover, parental age, especially the father's age, showed an association with newborns' telomere genetics.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Ziauddin Hospitals (Clifton, Kemari) paramedical staff for their help in data and sample collection. Special thanks to the laboratory assistants for the accomplishment of molecular genetics work.

Conflict of interest

All authors declare no conflicts of interest in this paper.

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