Maternal cigarette smoking and its effect on neonatal lymphocyte subpopulations and replication

Giovanni Almanzar,Christian Koppelstaetter,Rudolf Trawöger,Martina Prelog,Christian Specht,Andrea Lassacher,David Bernhard,Gernot Eberle,Peter Heinz-Erian

doi:10.1186/1471-2431-13-57

Giovanni Almanzar, Christian Koppelstaetter + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-13-57

Copy DOI

Abstract

BackgroundSignificant immunomodulatory effects have been described as result of cigarette smoking in adults and pregnant women. However, the effect of cigarette smoking during pregnancy on the lymphocyte subpopulations in newborns has been discussed, controversially.MethodsIn a prospective birth cohort, we analyzed the peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations of smoking (SM) and non-smoking mothers (NSM) and their newborns and the replicative history of neonatal, mostly naive CD4 + CD45RA + T cells by measurements of T-cell-receptor-excision-circles (TRECs), relative telomere lengths (RTL) and the serum cytokine concentrations.ResultsSM had higher lymphocyte counts than NSM. Comparing SM and NSM and SM newborns with NSM newborns, no significant differences in proportions of lymphocyte subpopulations were seen. Regardless of their smoking habits, mothers had significantly lower naive T cells and higher memory and effector T cells than newborns. NSM had significantly lower percentages of CD4 + CD25++ T cells compared to their newborns, which was not significant in SM. There were no differences regarding cytokine concentrations in newborns of SM and NSM. However, NSM had significantly higher Interleukin-7 concentrations than their newborns. Regardless of smoking habits of mothers, newborns had significantly longer telomeres and higher TRECs than their mothers. Newborns of SM had significantly longer telomeres than newborns of NSM.ConclusionsApart from higher lymphocyte counts in SM, our results did not reveal differences between lymphocyte subpopulations of SM and NSM and their newborns, respectively. Our finding of significantly longer RTL in newborns of SM may reflect potential harm on lymphocytes, such as cytogenetic damage induced by smoking.

Highlights

Significant immunomodulatory effects have been described as result of cigarette smoking in adults and pregnant women
Our finding of significantly longer relative telomere lengths (RTL) in newborns of SM may reflect potential harm on lymphocytes, such as cytogenetic damage induced by smoking
According to results from adult smokers, pregnant smoking women and prenatally cigarette-smoke exposed newborns, our hypothesis was that components of cigarette smoke may cause distress on fetal lymphocytes, resulting in higher differentiation of T cell subpopulations, less naive T cells, a higher replicative history of peripheral T cells, as measured by T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) [12,13] and relative telomere length [14], and higher pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β, IL-6 or TNF-α

Summary

Introduction

Significant immunomodulatory effects have been described as result of cigarette smoking in adults and pregnant women. According to results from adult smokers, pregnant smoking women and prenatally cigarette-smoke exposed newborns, our hypothesis was that components of cigarette smoke may cause distress on fetal lymphocytes, resulting in higher differentiation of T cell subpopulations, less naive T cells, a higher replicative history of peripheral T cells, as measured by T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) [12,13] and relative telomere length [14], and higher pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β, IL-6 or TNF-α. The present, prospective birth cohort was aimed to analyze the peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations of smoking (SM) and non-smoking mothers (NSM) and their newborns, the replicative history of neonatal, mostly naive CD4 + CD45RA + T cells and the serum cytokine concentrations

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion