Abstract
Background: Dietary intervention with prebiotics has been shown to reduce the development of allergic disease in infants at risk. The precise immunological mechanisms underlying the action of prebiotics are still unknown. In this study the contribution of CD25+ regulatory T cells was determined on the beneficial effects of prebiotics in mice orally sensitized for whey using adoptive transfer experiments. Methods: Donor mice were fed with 2% galacto-fructo- and acidic-oligosaccharides (prebiotic diet) or control diet, starting 2 weeks before oral sensitization with whey (five times in weekly intervals) using cholera toxin as an adjuvant. The acute allergic skin reaction was determined, by measuring ear swelling 1 h after i.d. challenge. After ex vivo in vitro depletion of CD25+ spleen cells using PC61 coated magnetic beads control or CD25 depleted cells were transferred into naive recipient mice. Recipient mice were either whey or sham sensitized and received control diet. Results: The prebiotic diet diminished the acute allergic skin reaction (157 ± 11 versus 67 ± 5.8 um, P <0.001) and wheyspecific IgE (477 ± 167 versus 116 ± 27 AU, P <0.05) and IgG1 (68120 ± 10650 versus 42560 ± 6045 AU, P <0.05) levels in donor mice. Whey-sensitized recipient mice receiving spleen cells from whey-sensitized prebiotic fed donor mice displayed almost complete prevention of the acute allergic skin reaction (22 ± 8 um) compared to mice receiving cells from shamsensitized prebiotic fed donor mice (125 ± 12 μm). After depletion of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ cells, transfer of tolerance did no longer occur in whey-sensitized recipient mice and mice had severe acute allergic skin reactions (223 ± 11 μm). Control diet fed whey-sensitized donor mice did not induce tolerance after transfer. Ex vivo regulatory T cell depletion using the PC61 coated magnetic beads was successful in both diet groups (P <0.01). IgE sensitization could not be prevented using adoptive transfer. Conclusion: From these experiments it can be concluded that CD25+ regulatory T cells may play a role in the reduction of the allergic skin response occurring after dietary intervention with prebiotics in whey-sensitized mice.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 83 |
Number of pages | 1 |
Journal | Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology |
Volume | 64 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2009 |
Keywords
- prebiotic agent
- immunoglobulin E
- CD4 antigen
- adjuvant
- cholera toxin
- oligosaccharide
- skin
- regulatory T lymphocyte
- mouse
- whey
- allergy
- clinical immunology
- diet
- donor
- skin allergy
- recipient
- adoptive transfer
- spleen cell
- ex vivo study
- sensitization
- in vitro study
- risk
- swelling
- ear
- infant
- T cell depletion
- prevention
- allergic disease