Anti-inflammatory effect of breast milk miR-148a on the state of mucous membranes in premature newborns

Background. Breast milk (BM) is an optimal nutritional product for newborns and a source of exogenous microRNAs (miR). MiR-148a is one of the most highly expressed miR of BM. Currently, there is a lack of data on the miR-148a effect on the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature newborns. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of miR-148a of the mother’s BM on the risk of NEC development in preterm newborns. Materials and methods. We examined 74 newborns, who were treated in neonatal departments. We determined the level of miR-148a in the BM of 44 mothers of exclusively breastfed children. In parallel, we evaluated gene expression of the transcription factor T-bet in scrapings of the buccal mucosa of all the newborns. Three groups for comparison were selected: group 1 consisted of 32 newborns up to 37 weeks of gestation on breastfeeding (BF); group 2 — of 30 preterm newborns on artificial feeding; the control group — 12 full-term newborns on BF. Results. The gestational age median of group 1 children was 33 (31; 34) weeks; group 2 — 32.5 (32; 35) weeks; and it was comparatively higher in the control group (p 0.05). In group 2 compared to the first one, manifestations of NEC occurred significantly more often (p