Supplementing pregnant mice with a specific mixture of nondigestible oligosaccharides reduces symptoms of allergic asthma in male offspring.
BACKGROUND
Previously, maternal supplementation with short-chain galacto- and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scGOS/lcFOS; ratio 9:1) was shown to affect maternal and fetal immune status in mice.


OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to test the long-term effects of supplementation of mice with scGOS/lcFOS before and during pregnancy on the immune response in the offspring, using an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced model for experimental allergic asthma.


METHODS
Female Balb/c mice were fed a control diet or a diet supplemented with 3% scGOS/lcFOS and mated to C57BL/6 males. All dams were fed the control diet after delivery. At 6 wk, male offspring received an intraperitoneal injection of aluminum hydroxide and OVA (control and scGOS/lcFOS group) or saline (sham group). The acute allergic skin response (ASR) after intradermal challenge with OVA or saline was measured at 8 wk. After 3 airway challenges with nebulized OVA or saline, lung function was measured.


RESULTS
The scGOS/lcFOS group had a significantly lower acute ASR (85 ± 9 μm) than the control group (124 ± 9 μm; P = 0.01). Lower lung resistance from a response to methacholine challenge was seen in the scGOS/lcFOS group. OVA-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E concentrations in the control group [93 ± 45 arbitrary unit (AU)] and the scGOS/lcFOS group (67 ± 45 AU) were higher than in the sham group (11 ± 2 AU). OVA specific IgG2a concentrations in the scGOS/lcFOS (146 ± 24 AU) were higher than in the sham group (2 ± 0.3 AU) and control group (18 ± 3.5 AU; P < 0.05). Finally, the scGOS/lcFOS group had a higher percentage of regulatory T cells (1.11% ± 0.07%) than the sham group (0.14% ± 0.03%) and the control group (0.11% ± 0.02%; P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Maternal supplementation of mice with scGOS/lcFOS during pregnancy leads to a significant decrease in allergic symptoms in the offspring.
Division of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands; and a.hogenkamp@uu.nl.
Astrid
A
Hogenkamp
Division of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands; and.
Suzan
S
Thijssen
Division of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands; and.
Naomi
N
van Vlies
Division of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands; and Nutricia Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Johan
J
Garssen
D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000517:prevention & control; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000009:adverse effects; D056692:Prebiotics; D011247:Pregnancy
D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D056692:Prebiotics; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D010047:Ovalbumin
allergic asthma; maternal dietary intervention; oligosaccharides; pregnancy; programming