REVIEW article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1617042
Epigenetics in Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Current Understanding and the Potential Involvement of m6A Modification
Provisionally accepted
Yixian Chen1,2
Yujun Chen1*- 1Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
- 2Liuzhou Hospital of Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, LiuZhou, China
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Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) exhibits high incidence, surgical intervention rates, and mortality among preterm infants, profoundly impacting survivor's long-term quality of life.Consequently, the etiology and pathogenesis of this disease remain incompletely elucidated.Emerging evidence underscores the intricate connection between epigenetics and NEC. DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs regulate disease development through targeted modification of transcriptional regulation and translational control in NECassociated genes, thereby driving pathological progression. Notably, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification, the most prevalent form of RNA epigenetic regulation, exerts critical functions in intestinal inflammation, microbial homeostasis, and injury repair, suggesting its potential involvement in NEC development. In this review, we will summarize the current mechanistic understanding of NEC, emphasizing its interplay with epigenetics (DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs) . we also explore the emerging role of m6A RNA modification in gut pathophysiology, proposing its potential role in NEC.
Keywords: necrotizing enterocolitis, epigenetics, N6-Methyladenosine, neonates, DNA Methylation
Received: 23 Apr 2025; Accepted: 14 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chen and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yujun Chen, Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
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