SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE INCREASED ASTHMA RISK IN ADULTS CAUSED BY MATERNAL STRESS

F GIORGIO; M PERRONE SIBILIA; A SOTO; E MORALES; V SANCHEZ; V MARTÍN; A GOLDMAN; I FENOY

Congreso; Reunion Conjunta SAIC-SAI-AAFE-NANOMED; 2021

of atopic diseases in the mother propagates the onset of allergicdiseases in the offspring with a considerably stronger penetrancethan atopic diseases of the father. Such observation challenges geneticpredispositions as the sole cause for allergic diseases. Epidemiologicalstudies suggest that caregiver stress in the perinatalperiod may predispose offspring to asthma. We have shown thatmaternal stress during pregnancy results in an increase of litter susceptibilityto develop allergic lung inflammation OBJECTIVES: Weaimed to study if there are sex differences in susceptibility in adultmice. METHODS: Pregnant BALB/c mice were subjected to a singlerestraint stress exposure at day 15 of gestation. Pups were separatedby gender and after puberty and treated with two i.p.injection ofovalbumin (OVA)/alum(day 4 and 47), challenged with antigen aerosol(days 50-52) and euthanized(day 54). Negative controls includedpups of non-stressed dams subjected to the same protocol or i.p.sensitized and aerosol challenged with PBS. RESULTS: Femaleand male adult mice born to stressed dams were more susceptibleto developing pulmonary allergic inflammation, since an increase inthe number of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), a greaterperibronchial and perivascular infiltrate, higher proportion of mucus-producing cells, and increased IL-4 and IL-5 levels in BAL weredetected compared to control mice. These parameters were morepronounced in females than males. Moreover, only females fromstressed dams showed an increase in IgE levels. CONCLUSIONS:Increased litter susceptibility to develop allergic lung inflammationinduced by maternal stress is stronger in females than in male mice.