Abstract
Goat milk (GM), as compared to cow milk (CM), is easier for humans to digest. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and can improve minor digestive disorders and prevent allergic diseases in infants. It is unclear whether GM consumed in pregnant mothers has any protective effects on allergic diseases in infants. In this experimental study with mice, we found GM feeding enhanced immunoglobulin production, antigen-specific (ovalbumin, OVA) immune responses, and phagocytosis activity. The GM-fed mice had an increasing proportion of CD3+ T lymphocytes in the spleen. Splenocytes isolated from these animals also showed significantly increased production of cytokines IFN-γ and IL-10. More importantly, GM feeding during pregnancy and lactation periods can confer protective activity onto offspring by alleviating the airway inflammation of allergic asthma induced by mite allergens. There was a remarkably different composition of gut microbiota between offspring of pregnant mice fed with water or with milk (GM or CM). There was a greater proportion of beneficial bacterial species, such as Akkermansia muciniphila, Bacteroides eggerthii, and Parabacteroides goldsteinii in the gut microbiota of offspring from GM- or CM-fed pregnant mice compared to the offspring of water-fed pregnant mice. These results suggested that improving the nutrition of pregnant mice can promote immunological maturation and colonization of gut microbiota in offspring. This mother-to-child biological action may provide a protective effect on atopy development and alleviate allergen-induced airway inflammation in offspring.
Highlights
An increasing prevalence of allergic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, as well as food allergies, has been noted in western societies [1, 2]
A significant increase in sera immunoglobulin concentration was observed in mice fed with Goat milk (GM) or cow milk (CM)
IgA, IgM, and IgG concentrations were significantly higher in cow milk- and goat milk-fed mice compared to control mice (N) (p < 0.05) (Table 1A)
Summary
An increasing prevalence of allergic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, as well as food allergies, has been noted in western societies [1, 2]. Increasing incidences have been reported in newly developed Asian countries, such as Taiwan [3, 4] These diseases affect ∼20% of the population worldwide [5, 6]; yet the prevalence has increased too rapidly in recent decades to be explained by genetic changes alone [1, 5]. This increasing incidence of allergic disease alongside a decreasing incidence of microbial infections in western countries has led to the “hygiene hypothesis” [7]. There is evidence that exclusive breastfeeding for 3–4 months reduces the incidence of eczema and is protective against wheezing in the first 2 years of life, there are no short- or long-term advantages for exclusive breastfeeding beyond 3–4 months that have been demonstrated for preventing atopic disease [19]
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