title: Umbilical cord plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and immune function at birth: the Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies have reported conflicting data on the association between maternal intake of vitamin D during pregnancy and asthma.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the influence of prenatal vitamin D status on immune function at birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  In an inner-city birth cohort of 568 newborns, 520 of whom had at least one atopic parent, we measured the umbilical cord (UC) plasma concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and the cytokine responses of UC blood mononuclear cells (UCMCs) to stimuli including phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and peptidoglycan. In a subset, the UCMC expression of regulatory T cell markers and the suppressive activity of CD4(+) CD25(+) UCMCs were measured. Results The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of UC plasma 25(OH)D level were 15.0, 20.2, and 25.6 ng/mL, respectively. Most cytokine responses of UCMC were not correlated with UC 25(OH)D concentration; however, IFN-γ release after LPS stimulation was weakly positively correlated with UC 25(OH)D concentration (r=0.11, P=0.01). PHA responses were not significantly correlated with 25(OH)D concentration. The UC plasma 25(OH)D concentration was inversely related to the number of CD25(+) (r=-0.20, P=0.06), CD25(Bright) (r=-0.21, P=0.05), and CD25(+) FoxP3 (r=-0.29, P=0.06) cells as a proportion of CD4(+) T cells in UC blood (r=-0.26, P=0.04) but not to the suppressive activity of CD4(+) CD25(+) cells (r=0.17, P=0.22).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  UC 25(OH)D concentration was not correlated with most UCMC cytokine responses to multiple stimuli. There was a suggestion of a weakly positive correlation with IFN-γ release after LPS stimulation. The proportions of CD25(+) , CD25(Bright) , and CD25(+) FoxP3 cells to total CD4(+) T cells were inversely correlated with UC 25(OH)D concentration. Our findings suggest that higher vitamin D levels at birth may be associated with a lower number of T-regulatory cells. Vitamin D status in utero may influence immune regulation in early life.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111–1800, USA. achi@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wildfire
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McLoughlin
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Bloomberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kattan
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gergen
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Witter
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holick
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Visness
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gern
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: O'Connor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000276:immunology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology; D014504:Urban Health; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D