Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Metabolic Disorders in Pediatrics: The Role of the Oxidative Stress—A Review of the Literature
Martina Derme,
Martina Briante,
Mauro Ceccanti,
Giuseppe Giannini,
Mario Vitali,
Marisa Patrizia Messina,
Maria Grazia Piccioni,
Alessandro Mattia,
Simona Nicotera,
Alba Crognale
Affiliations
Martina Derme
Department of Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
Martina Briante
Department of Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
Mauro Ceccanti
Italian Society for the Treatment of Alcoholism and Its Complications (SITAC), 00185 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Giannini
Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
Mario Vitali
ASUR Marche, AV4, 60122 Ancona, Italy
Marisa Patrizia Messina
Department of Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
Maria Grazia Piccioni
Department of Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
Alessandro Mattia
Dipartimento della Pubblica Sicurezza, Direzione Centrale di Sanità, Centro di Ricerche e Laboratorio di Tossicologia Forense, Ministero dell’Interno, 00185 Rome, Italy
Simona Nicotera
Dipartimento della Pubblica Sicurezza, Direzione Centrale di Sanità, Centro di Ricerche e Laboratorio di Tossicologia Forense, Ministero dell’Interno, 00185 Rome, Italy
Alba Crognale
Department of Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
Prenatal alcohol exposure is responsible for increasing chronic disease risk in later life, including obesity and metabolic syndrome. Alcohol drinking may compromise endogenous antioxidant capacity, causing an increase in free radicals and reactive oxygen species in the newborn. Excessive reactive oxygen species could attack the cellular proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, leading to cellular dysfunction. Moreover, oxidative stress could play a crucial role in the altered synthesis and release of neurotrophins and progressive mitochondrial modifications with uncontrolled apoptosis. This narrative review aims to underline the important role of alcohol abuse in oxidative stress events and consequent metabolic and neurocognitive impairments in children exposed to alcohol during gestational life.
