Prenatal, perinatal, and heritable influences on cord blood immune responses.
BACKGROUND
Maternal and perinatal environmental exposures, as well as inherited factors, may influence neonatal immune responses.


OBJECTIVE
To determine relations of maternal and perinatal exposures to antigen-specific cord blood lymphoproliferative responses.


METHODS
In 427 newborns from a Boston pregnancy/birth cohort, lymphoproliferative responses in cord blood mononuclear cells to stimulation with cockroach (Bla g 2), house dust mite (Der f 1), ovalbumin, and mitogen phytohemagglutinin were measured as stimulation index (SI). We used the Wilcoxon rank sum and chi2 tests to evaluate predictors of ovalbumin SI as a continuous ranked or dichotomous outcome. We used t test and Spearman correlation for univariate testing and linear regression to evaluate predictors of natural log-transformed Bla g 2, Der f 1, and phytohemagglutinin SI. Logistic multivariate regression was applied to evaluate predictors of Bla g 2, Der f 1, and phytohemagglutinin SI dichotomized at 2 or at the median for phytohemagglutinin.


RESULTS
Maternal smoking during pregnancy, inadequate or excessive maternal weight gain during pregnancy, neonate black race/ethnicity (compared with white), and Apgar score less than 8 were each independently associated with increased cord blood mononuclear cell proliferative responses to stimulation with Bla g 2 and/or Der f 1. Maternal history of asthma was associated only with increased lymphoproliferative response to ovalbumin stimulation.


CONCLUSIONS
Distinct fetal and perinatal exposures and black race/ethnicity may be associated with increased cord blood lymphoproliferative responses. The implications of these findings for future development of allergy or asthma are, as yet, unknown.
Willwerth
Ben M
BM
Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Schaub
Bianca
B
Tantisira
Kelan G
KG
Gold
Diane R
DR
Palmer
Lyle J
LJ
Litonjua
Augusto A
AA
Perkins
David L
DL
Schroeter
Christian
C
Gibbons
Fiona K
FK
Gillman
Matthew W
MW
Weiss
Scott T
ST
Finn
Patricia W
PW
D000941:Antigens / Q000494:pharmacology; D001835:Body Weight; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000276:immunology*; D012907:Smoking
D000941:Antigens