Gerlinde Agate Platais Brasil Teixeira
Federal Fluminense University, Brazil
Title: Maternal fetal immune regulation in experimental food allergy induction
Biography
Biography: Gerlinde Agate Platais Brasil Teixeira
Abstract
The aim of our study was to determine the impact of the mother's immunological status over the immunological response of their offspring in an experimental setting. For this, female mice, tolerant or allergic to peanuts, were exposed or not to a challenge diet containing peanuts (P-CD) during gestation-lactation (TEP/AEP; TNEP/ANEP respectively). After weaning, the offspring was submitted to the peanut allergy or tolerance protocol and then P-CD. Our results showed that allergy induction in the offspring is influenced by the mother's immunological status. Offspring born to TEP mothers produced the lowest antibody titters while those born to AEP mothers produced the highest antibody titters compared to mice born to TNEP and ANEP. On the other hand, tolerance induction of the offspring is not influenced by the mother’s immunological status or contact with peanuts during the gestation-lactation. The histological gut profile of the offspring correlates well to the serological response. In other words, offspring born to TEP mothers and submitted to the allergy induction protocol presented a normal histological profile, while offspring born to AEP mothers produced the worst gut inflammation indicating that mothers, exposed to the antigen (by the oral route) during gestation, actively influence the immune response of their offspring. This work sheds some light on the importance of dietary antigen immunomodulation induced during gestation and its influence on the immunological response of the offspring. However, more work is needed to elucidate the molecular and cellular components of this regulatory phenomenon.