Influence of age on the development of immunological lung response in intrauterine undernourishment.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the effect of intrauterine undernourishment on some features of asthma using a model of allergic lung inflammation in rats. The effects of age at which the rats were challenged (5 and 9 wk) were also evaluated.


METHODS
Intrauterine undernourished offspring were obtained from dams that were fed 50% of the nourished diet of counterparts and were immunized at 5 and 9 wk of age. They were tested for immunoglobulin E anti-ova titers (by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis), cell count in the bronchoalveolar fluid, leukotriene concentration, airway reactivity, mucus production, and blood corticosterone and leptin concentrations 21 d after immunologic challenge.


RESULTS
Intrauterine undernourishment significantly reduced the antigen-specific immunoglobulin E production, inflammatory cell infiltration into airways, mucus secretion, and production of leukotrienes B(4)/C(4) in the lungs in both age groups compared with respective nourished rats. The increased reactivity to methacholine that follows antigen challenge was not affected by intrauterine undernourishment. Corticosterone levels increased with age in the undernourished rats' offspring, but not in the nourished rats' offspring. Undernourished offspring already presented high levels of corticosterone before inflammatory stimulus and were not modified by antigen challenge. Leptin levels increased with challenge in the nourished rats but not in the undernourished rats and could not be related to corticosterone levels in the undernourished rats.


CONCLUSIONS
Intrauterine undernourishment has a striking and age-dependent effect on the offspring, reducing lung allergic inflammation.
Landgraf
Maristella A
MA
Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. mvitta@usp.br
Landgraf
Richardt G
RG
Jancar
Sonia
S
Fortes
Zuleica B
ZB
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000276:immunology; D007975:Leukotriene B4 / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000276:immunology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D020738:Leptin; D007975:Leukotriene B4; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D003345:Corticosterone