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Pulmonary exposure to particles during pregnancy causes increased neonatal asthma susceptibility.
- Source :
-
American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology [Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol] 2008 Jan; Vol. 38 (1), pp. 57-67. Date of Electronic Publication: 2007 Jul 26. - Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- Maternal immune responses can promote allergy development in offspring, as shown in a model of increased susceptibility to asthma in babies of ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized and -challenged mother mice. We investigated whether inflammatory responses to air pollution particles (diesel exhaust particles, DEP) or control "inert" titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) particles are enhanced during pregnancy and whether exposure to particles can cause increased neonatal susceptibility to asthma. Pregnant BALB/c mice (or nonpregnant controls) received particle suspensions intranasally at Day 14 of pregnancy. Lung inflammatory responses were evaluated 48 hours after exposure. Offspring of particle- or buffer-treated mothers were sensitized and aerosolized with OVA, followed by assays of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and allergic inflammation (AI). Nonpregnant females had the expected minimal response to "inert" TiO(2). In contrast, pregnant mice showed robust and persistent acute inflammation after both TiO(2) and DEP. Genomic profiling identified genes differentially expressed in pregnant lungs exposed to TiO(2). Neonates of mothers exposed to TiO(2) (and DEP, but not PBS) developed AHR and AI, indicating that pregnancy exposure to both "inert" TiO(2) and DEP caused increased asthma susceptibility in offspring. We conclude that (1) pregnancy enhances lung inflammatory responses to otherwise relatively innocuous inert particles; and (2) exposures of nonallergic pregnant females to inert or toxic environmental air particles can cause increased allergic susceptibility in offspring.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Asthma genetics
Asthma pathology
Cytokines genetics
Cytokines immunology
Female
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression Regulation drug effects
Gene Expression Regulation immunology
Humans
Immunity, Maternally-Acquired genetics
Immunity, Maternally-Acquired immunology
Lung immunology
Lung pathology
Maternal-Fetal Exchange genetics
Maternal-Fetal Exchange immunology
Mice
Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
Pregnancy
Air Pollutants toxicity
Asthma immunology
Immunity, Maternally-Acquired drug effects
Maternal Exposure adverse effects
Maternal-Fetal Exchange drug effects
Particulate Matter toxicity
Titanium toxicity
Vehicle Emissions toxicity
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1535-4989
- Volume :
- 38
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 17656681
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1165/rcmb.2007-0124OC