Abstract
Background: Infections are the main cause of death in preterm infants. Causative agents often descend from the intestinal flora of the infected neonate, indicating insufficient protection by the mucosal barrier. Breast milk (BM) contains different subsets of immune cells. We recently showed that BM contains significant numbers of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC)—immune cells that actively suppress pro-inflammatory immune responses—and hypothesized that the transfer of BM-MDSC may modulate the mucosal immunity of the newborn. Methods: Percentages of MDSC in the BM from mothers of 86 preterm infants between 23 + 0 and 36 + 6 weeks of gestation during their first five postnatal weeks were analyzed by flow cytometry and correlated with maternal and infant characteristics. Results: Percentages of BM-MDSC positively correlated with gestational age and postnatal age. The expression of activation markers on BM-MDSC did not change with gestational age, but it decreased with postnatal age. Mothers who received antepartum tocolytics had lower percentages of BM-MDSC, and infant’s sex strongly influenced percentages of BM-MDSC. Conclusion: Our results point toward a role of BM-MDSC for immune regulation in the neonatal gut, making them a potential target of immune-based therapies shortly after birth.
Highlights
Infections are one of the most important complications in the care of preterm infants and often lead to death or long-term sequelae
We found that mean percentages of GR-myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) positively correlated with gestational age at birth (p < 0.005, r = 0.3, n = 86, Figure 1A)
Our group identified granulocytic MDSC (GR-MDSC) in the Breast milk (BM) of term and preterm infants [26], giving rise to the hypothesis that BM-MDSC may play a role in intestinal neonatal immune regulation
Summary
Infections are one of the most important complications in the care of preterm infants and often lead to death or long-term sequelae. About one out of three preterm infants suffers from at least one episode of infection during his stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) [1]. Nutrients 2020, 12, 2571 diabetes, obesity, and inflammatory bowel disease [11,12,13,14,15], suggesting long-term immunomodulatory effects. It could have been shown that maternal and infants’ infections lead to a change in immune cell composition of BM [16] pointing toward a double-sided influence of both mothers and infants’ characteristics on BM immunity. We analyzed the expression of activation markers on BM-MDSC and analyzed how maternal and fetal characteristics (birth mode, antepartum steroids, antepartum tocolysis, multiparity, and infants’ sex) influenced BM-MDSC expression
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call