Allergen independent maternal transmission of asthma susceptibility. Journal of Immunology

HAMADA K, SUZAKI Y, GOLDMAN A, NING YY, GOLDSMITH CA, PALECANDA A, COULL B, HUBEAU C KOBZIK L

JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY

AMER ASSOC IMMUNOLOGISTS

Año: 2003 vol. 170 p. 1683 - 1689

0022-1767

Maternal asthma is a risk factor for development of asthma in children, but mechanisms remain unclear. Offspring of asthmatic mother mice (sensitized and repeatedly exposed to OVA Ag) showed airway hyperresponsiveness and allergic pulmonary inflammation after an intentionally suboptimal OVA sensitization and exposure protocol that had little effect on normal offspring. Similar results were obtained when offspring of OVA-allergic mothers were exposed to an unrelated allergen, casein, indicating that the maternal effect is allergen independent and not transferred by OVA-specific Abs. Premating treatment with neutralizing anti-IL-4 Ab or reduction of maternal allergen exposure abrogated the maternal effect, showing a critical mechanistic role for IL-4 and suggesting an additional benefit of allergen avoidance.