The effects of pregnancy on the exacerbation and development of maternal allergic respiratory disease

• Published in: Journal of immunotoxicology Vol. 6; no. 4; pp. 276 - 284
• Main Authors: Pucheu-Haston, Cherie M., Copeland, Lisa B., Haykal-Coates, Najwa, Ward, Marsha D. W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Informa UK Ltd 01.12.2009; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Administration, Inhalation; Airway Resistance - drug effects; Airway Resistance - physiology; Allergens - administration & dosage; Allergens - immunology; Animals; Antigens, Fungal - administration & dosage; Antigens, Fungal - immunology; Asthma; Bronchial Hyperreactivity - immunology; Bronchial Hyperreactivity - pathology; Bronchial Hyperreactivity - physiopathology; Female; gestational exposure; Male; maternal asthma; Maternal Exposure; Metarhizium anisopliae; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mitosporic Fungi - immunology; mouse; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - immunology; Spores, Fungal - immunology
• ISSN: 1547-691X; 1547-6901
• DOI: 10.3109/15476910903264268

The T-helper 2 (TH2) bias associated with pregnancy may predispose the pregnant mother to the development or exacerbation of allergic disease. To determine the effects of pregnancy on pre-existing maternal sensitization, we sensitized BALB/c mice before breeding by two intratracheal aspiration (IA) exposures to the fungal allergen, Metarhizium anisopliae crude antigen (MACA). Some mice also received three IA exposures to MACA on gestational days 11, 15, and 19. After weaning, all mice were challenged IA with MACA before killing. To determine the effects of pregnancy on susceptibility to future sensitization, naïve parous and nulliparous BALB/c mice were sensitized by three IA exposures to MACA or to Hank's buffered salt solution vehicle control. Pregnancy did not have a significant effect on individual inflammatory parameters (airway responsiveness to methacholine, total serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) IgE, BALF total protein, lactate dehydrogenase activity, and total and differential cell counts) following allergen challenge in sensitized mice, regardless of post-breeding allergen exposure. In conclusion there was a weak inhibition of the overall response in mice exposed to allergen during pregnancy compared to identically treated nulliparous mice. In contrast, parous mice that did not encounter allergen post-breeding tended to have exacerbated responses. Parity had no significant impact on future susceptibility to sensitization.