Th1 and Th2 Chemokines, Vaccine-Induced Immunity, and Allergic Disease in Infants After Maternal ω-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation During Pregnancy and Lactation

Abstract

ABSTRACT:We investigated whether the previously reported preventive effect of maternal -3 fatty acid supplementation on IgEassociated allergic disease in infancy may be mediated by facilitating a balanced circulating Th2/Th1 chemokine profile in the infant. Vaccine-induced immune responses at 2 y of age were also evaluated. Pregnant women, at risk of having an allergic infant, were randomized to daily supplementation with 1.6 g eicosapentaenoic acid and 1.1 g docosahexaenoic acid or placebo from the 25th gestational week through 3.5 mo of breastfeeding. Infant plasma was analyzed for chemokines (cord blood, 3, 12, 24 mo) and anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria IgG (24 mo). High Th2-associated CCchemokine ligand 17 (CCL17) levels were associated with infant allergic disease (p Ͻ 0.05). In infants without, but not with, maternal history of allergy, the -3 supplementation was related to lower CCL17/CXC-chemokine ligand 11 (CXCL11) (Th2/Th1) ratios (p Ͻ 0.05). Furthermore, in nonallergic, but not in allergic infants, -3 supplementation was linked with higher Th1-associated CXCL11 levels (p Ͻ 0.05), as well as increased IgG titers to diphtheria (p ϭ 0.01) and tetanus (p ϭ 0.05) toxins. Thus, the prospect of balancing the infant immune system toward a less Th2-dominated response, by maternal -3 fatty acid supplementation, seems to be influenced by allergic status. (Pediatr Res 69: 259-264, 2011)

Current Information and Asian Perspectives on Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Pregnancy, Lactation, and Infancy: Systematic Review and Practice Recommendations from an Early Nutrition Academy Workshop

“…All of these studies reported some positive findings on selected immune markers and/or the incidence of (allergic) diseases in the children of supplemented mothers. Supplementation with LC-PUFA or consumption of 2 portions of oily fish/week during pregnancy resulted in improvements in neonatal [50,51,52,53] and maternal [53,54] immune responses, with attenuation of allergic inflammation, perhaps influenced by the infant allergic status.…”

Immunological interactions between mother and child during pregnancy in relation to the development of allergic diseases in the offspring

“…Our chemokine data revealed an association between increased CCL17 levels at birth and at 24 months of age and development of AD (described in paper II and III). The relationship between elevated CCL17 levels and AD development during infancy, regardless of sensitisation, has been confirmed in 2 other cohorts of children (paper SII, [208,221]). …”

Evidence for the essentiality of arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acid in the postnatal maternal and infant diet for the development of the infant’s immune system early in life

“…One study, from which 2 articles were published, was performed in preterm infant. Two published studies from the same group were from Australia (Manley et al 2011;Atwell et al 2013), 1 in Denmark (Lauritzen et al 2005), and 3 studies from the same group were done in Sweden (Furuhjelm et al 2009(Furuhjelm et al , 2011a(Furuhjelm et al , 2011b. Four of the trials included markers of immune function or incidence of allergic and atopic diseases as the primary outcome, and the secondary outcome for the remaining 2 trials.…”

“…A dysregulation in the Th1/Th2 response has been proposed to be one of the mechanisms involved in development of allergic and atopic diseases (Prescott and Dunstan 2007). They reported that maternal fish oil supplementation differentially affected the Th1 response in infants according to their allergic status (i.e., different response in infant with and without a maternal history of allergy) (Furuhjelm et al 2011a). This suggests that the impact of maternal DHA supplementation on the development of the immune system and the establishment of oral tolerance may differ based on the family history of allergic and atopic diseases, which are important considerations in future research.…”