title: Oral tolerance induced by transfer of food antigens via breast milk of allergic mothers prevents offspring from developing allergic symptoms in a mouse food allergy model.
abstract: We examined whether maternal exposure to food antigens during lactation and maternal allergic status would affect the development of food allergy in offspring. OVA-sensitized or OVA-nonsensitized BALB/c female mice were exposed or unexposed to OVA during lactation. After weaning, their offspring were systemically sensitized twice with OVA and repeatedly given OVA by oral intubation. While 97.1% of the mice breastfed by OVA-nonsensitized and OVA-unexposed mothers developed allergic diarrhea, 59.7% of the mice breastfed by OVA-exposed nonallergic mothers during lactation and 24.6% of the mice breastfed by OVA-exposed allergic mothers during lactation developed food allergy. Furthermore, OVA was detected in breast-milk from OVA-exposed nonallergic mothers during lactation (4.6 ± 0.5 μg/mL). In addition, OVA-specific IgG1 titers were markedly increased in breast milk from allergic mothers (OVA-sensitized and OVA-unexposed mother: 11.0 ± 0.5, OVA-sensitized and OVA-exposed mother: 12.3 ± 0.3). Our results suggest that oral tolerance induced by breast milk-mediated transfer of dietary antigens along with their specific immunoglobulins to offspring leads to antigen-specific protection from food allergy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastrointestinal Pathophysiology, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, Sugitani, Toyama, Japan. ty@inm.u-toyama.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Yuma
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsubota
authors.forename: Toshihisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.forename: Natsuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kageyama-Yahara
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kadowaki
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000485:Allergens / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired / Q000276:immunology*; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008892:Milk; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D010047:Ovalbumin