title: Increased cell-mediated immunity in male mice offspring exposed to maternal immune activation during late gestation.
abstract: Early life experiences, particularly during the gestational period, are homeostatic determinants for an individual's brain development. However, recent data suggest that the immune response of the offspring is also affected by events during the gestational period. Here, we evaluated the impact of prenatal immune activation on the innate and adaptive immune responses of adult offspring. Pregnant Swiss mice received saline or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on gestational day 17. In adulthood, male offspring were analyzed using 2 experimental techniques: in vitro analysis of cytokine production and immune cell activity and development of the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses of ovalbumin-sensitized mice. We analyzed Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokine production in vitro, neutrophil and dendritic cell function, and the DTH response. Offspring from LPS-treated dams displayed increased cell-mediated immunity as indicated by increased IL-12 production by cultured antigen-presenting cells and an enhanced DTH response as well as impaired production of the regulatory cytokine IL-10. This study provides new insights regarding the influence of immune activation during late gestation on the immunological homeostasis of offspring, particularly on Th1 immunity.
authors.affiliation: Neuroimmunomodulation Research Group, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: adrianozager@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zager
authors.forename: Milena Lobão
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ferraz-de-Paula
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Palermo-Neto
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D003713:Dendritic Cells; D005260:Female; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D016207:Cytokines; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010047:Ovalbumin
keywords: Delayed-type hypersensitivity; Dendritic cell; Neutrophils; Prenatal LPS; Th1 immunity; Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines