Abstract
Various opinions have been presented on the merits and demerits that breastfeeding gives for the allergic onset of the babies. In this report, we focused on whether food proteins eaten by mother mice and secreted into breast milk as IgA-immune complexes contribute to the allergy prevention through oral tolerance in infants who ingest the milk. BALB/c mice were divided into two groups; E-group fed only egg white proteins and M-group fed only cow’s milk proteins as a dietary protein source. After immunizing M-group infants fed their own mother’s milk with ovalbumin/alum, diarrhea associated with experimental Th2 intestinal inflammation was induced by oral administration of ovalbumin. The diarrhea was dramatically suppressed in E-group infants. Concomitantly, low level of serum anti-ovalbumin- and ovomucoid-IgG1 and IgE, suppression of IL-4 synthesis by spleen cells, and low incidence of anaphylactic death after intravenous injection of ovalbumin were observed preferentially in E-infants. Immune complexes of respective dietary proteins and IgA were found in the breast milk obtained from each group of mother. Oral administration of pseudo immune complex chemically synthesized with ovalbumin and monoclonal mouse IgA in advance effectively suppressed anti-ovalbumin-IgG1 synthesis in adult mice after immunization with ovalbumin. The tolerance induced by the pseudo immune complex of ovalbumin diminished spontaneously while mice did not take egg white proteins. Thus, immune tolerance and then prevention of allergic disorder against dietary proteins were acquired via breastfeeding by mothers feeding the relevant proteins, probably through the immune complexes of dietary proteins and sIgAs secreted into breast milk.
Highlights
Breastfeeding is just the fundamental biological behavior for mammals
We describe the evidence indicating that food proteins eaten by mothers and secreted into breast milk as IgA-immune complex (IC) contribute to the allergy prevention through oral tolerance in infants who ingest the milk
In order to reveal the effects of maternal dietary proteins on the development of food allergy in their progeny, BALB/c mice were allocated into two groups; E-mice fed only egg white proteins and M-mice fed only cow’s milk proteins as a dietary protein source
Summary
Breastfeeding is just the fundamental biological behavior for mammals. breast milk is reasonably considered to be the most appropriate food for infants providing nutritional, developmental, psychological, social, economical, and environmental benefits [1]. IgA functions as a protective factor against allergic diseases, as expected from inverse relationship between IgA production and incidence of allergy [5] [6]. It interrupts the penetration of antigens (microbes and food proteins) from the surface of intestinal mucosal membrane. Even under the appropriate experimental conditions in mice, breast milk may be protective [11] or susceptible [12] to the development of allergic asthma in progeny. (2010) Breast Milk Immune Complexes Are Potent Inducers of Oral Tolerance in Neonates and Prevent Asthma Development.
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