Abstract
BackgroundFetal immune responses following exposure of mothers to allergens during pregnancy may influence the subsequent risk of childhood asthma. However, the association of allergen-induced cord blood mononuclear cell (CBMC) proliferation and cytokine production with later allergic immune responses and asthma has been controversial. Our objective was to compare indoor allergen-induced CBMC with age 5 peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation and determine which may be associated with age 5 allergic immune responses and asthma in an inner city cohort.MethodsAs part of an ongoing cohort study of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH), CBMCs and age 5 PBMCs were cultured with cockroach, mouse, and dust mite protein extracts. CBMC proliferation and cytokine (IL-5 and IFN-γ) responses, and age 5 PBMC proliferation responses, were compared to anti-cockroach, anti-mouse, and anti-dust mite IgE levels, wheeze, cough, eczema and asthma.ResultsCorrelations between CBMC and age 5 PBMC proliferation in response to cockroach, mouse, and dust mite antigens were nonsignificant. Cockroach-, mouse-, and dust mite-induced CBMC proliferation and cytokine responses were not associated with allergen-specific IgE at ages 2, 3, and 5, or with asthma and eczema at age 5. However, after adjusting for potential confounders, age 5 cockroach-induced PBMC proliferation was associated with anti-cockroach IgE, total IgE, and asthma (p < 0.05).ConclusionIn contrast to allergen-induced CBMC proliferation, age 5 cockroach-induced PBMC proliferation was associated with age 5 specific and total IgE, and asthma, in an inner-city cohort where cockroach allergens are prevalent and exposure can be high.
Highlights
Fetal immune responses following exposure of mothers to allergens during pregnancy may influence the subsequent risk of childhood asthma
In contrast to allergen-induced cord blood mononuclear cell (CBMC) proliferation, age 5 cockroach-induced peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation was associated with age 5 specific and total IgE, and asthma, in an inner-city cohort where cockroach allergens are prevalent and exposure can be high
Prospective birth cohorts studies have demonstrated that cord blood IgE is a better predictor of skin prick test (SPT) positivity to aeroallergens than family history when assessed up to age 5 years [2,6,7]
Summary
Fetal immune responses following exposure of mothers to allergens during pregnancy may influence the subsequent risk of childhood asthma. The association of allergen-induced cord blood mononuclear cell (CBMC) proliferation and cytokine production with later allergic immune responses and asthma has been controversial. Our objective was to compare indoor allergen-induced CBMC with age 5 peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation and determine which may be associated with age 5 allergic immune responses and asthma in an inner city cohort. The findings continue to be mixed when comparing aeroallergen-induced cord blood mononuclear cell (CBMC) proliferation with the subsequent risk for developing asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis [10,11,12]. One birth cohort that followed children as long as 6 years demonstrated no significant difference in aeroallergen-induced (dust mite, grass, mold, cat) CBMC proliferation among cord blood samples of children who subsequently developed atopic disease by 6 years of age compared with samples from children who did not [14]. Other approaches, such as those using MHC tetramer staining, have demonstrated antigen specific intrauterine T cell immune response following environmental exposures that display features of immunologic effector memory [16]
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