Cord blood cytokines are modulated by maternal farming activities and consumption of farm dairy products during pregnancy: the PASTURE Study.
BACKGROUND
Traditional farming represents a unique model situation to investigate the relationship of early-life farm-related exposure and allergy protection.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate associations between maternal farm exposures and cytokine production in cord blood (CB) mononuclear cells in a prospective multinational birth cohort of 299 farm and 326 nonfarm children and their families.


METHODS
Supernatants from phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate/ionomycin-stimulated CB mononuclear cells were assessed for the production of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-12.


RESULTS
Significantly higher levels of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in farm compared with nonfarm children were found, whereas IL-5, IL-10, and IL-12 levels did not differ between study groups. Maternal contact with different farm animal species and barns and consumption of farm-produced butter during pregnancy enhanced the production of proinflammatory CB cytokines, whereas maternal consumption of farm-produced yogurt resulted in significant lower levels of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in umbilical blood.


CONCLUSIONS
Maternal exposure to farming activities and farm dairy products during pregnancy modulated cytokine production patterns of offspring at birth.
Pfefferle
Petra Ina
PI
Department of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Philipps-University of Marburg, 35033 Marburg, Germany.
Büchele
Gisela
G
Blümer
Nicole
N
Roponen
Marjut
M
Ege
Markus Johannes
MJ
Krauss-Etschmann
Susanne
S
Genuneit
Jon
J
Hyvärinen
Anne
A
Hirvonen
Maija-Riitta
MR
Lauener
Roger
R
Pekkanen
Juha
J
Riedler
Josef
J
Dalphin
Jean Charles
JC
Brunekeef
Bert
B
Braun-Fahrländer
Charlotte
C
von Mutius
Erika
E
Renz
Harald
H
D000328:Adult; D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015014:Yogurt; D055815:Young Adult
D016207:Cytokines