Abstract
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders constitute a range of physical and cognitive abnormalities in newborn infants that are caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders have facial abnormalities, small eyes and head size, and prominent cognitive and behavioral deficits that can persist into adulthood. Almost half of such children born in the USA each year go undiagnosed. Some alcohol consumption during pregnancy is reported by approximately 10 % of women in the USA, with almost half of all pregnancies being unintended. Early identification of alcohol-affected children is essential for implementing effective interventions to mitigate the adverse secondary effects of alcohol exposure that may emerge later in life. Alcohol exposure can disrupt neurodevelopment of the fetus or infant via multiple mechanisms, leading to behavioral and cognitive alterations. MicroRNAs can serve as possible biomarkers of pre- or post-natal alcohol exposure. This review summarizes advances in the literature on microRNAs associated with alcohol exposure in humans and mice/rats. In the human studies, alterations in the expression levels of eight microRNAs in maternal blood serum in the first and second trimesters (miR-124–3p, miR-125b–5p, miR-132–3p, miR-134–5p, miR-138–5p, miR-302b–5p, miR-346, miR-9–5p) caused by maternal alcohol exposure could be potential biomarkers. Some similarities in microRNA expression were found in mouse/rat studies that assayed fetal and infant brain tissue samples. However, there was limited agreement with the human study using fetal brain tissue except for miR-9–5p. More human studies are needed to identify potential microRNA biomarkers in blood samples of women who have heavily consumed alcohol during pregnancy and their infants. Also, treating pregnant women and their infants with folate and choline when the women report they have heavily consumed alcohol during pregnancy could partially alleviate the adverse effects of alcohol in the infants.