Objectives Oral tolerance is the state of unresponsiveness to dietary antigens that are not harmful to the host, a process that begins in the gut and influences both local and peripheral immune responses. Lipid soluble forms of choline have been shown to beneficial affect peripheral immune responses during pregnancy and lactation, yet little is known about the impact of the different choline forms on the gut-associate lymphoid tissue (GALT). Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of feeding buttermilk-derived choline forms on the GALT in lactating dams. Methods Sprague-Dawley dams were randomized to consume one of three diets, all containing 1.9 g/kg of total choline: 1-Control (100% free choline (FC)), 2-Buttermilk (37% phosphatidylcholine (PC), 34% sphingomyelin, 17% glycerophosphocholine (GPC), 7% FC, 5% phosphocholine) and 3-Placebo (50% PC, 25% FC, 25% GPC). Immune cell phenotypes of mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) and Peyer's patches (PP) were measured by flow cytometry. Ex vivo cytokine production by immune cells isolated from MLN stimulated with Concanavalin A (ConA) and Ovalbumin (OVA) was measured by ELISA. Results In MLN, dams from the buttermilk and placebo groups had a higher production of IL-10 after both ConA and OVA stimulation and a higher proportion of helper T cells expressing co-inhibitory marker (CD4+CD152+) when compared to the control diet (both P < 0.05). No changes were found in IL-2, TNF-α, or IL-6 production and the proportion of regulatory T cells (CD3+CD4+CD25+FoxP3+) among groups. In PP, dams from the buttermilk group had a higher proportion of CD45RA + cells (B cells) compared to both the placebo and control diets and dams from the placebo diet had a higher proportion of dendritic cells (DC, OX62+OX6+) compared to both the buttermilk and control diets (both P < 0.05). Conclusions Compared to the control diet (only FC), the buttermilk and placebo diets appear to beneficially modulate oral tolerance by increasing the production of IL-10 (an important mediator) and could be partially explain by the higher proportion of CD4+CD152+cells in MLN. In PP, the higher proportion of B cells in the buttermilk and DC in the placebo groups, suggests that dams from these groups may have better antigen presentation function, which may further assist the induction of oral tolerance. Funding Sources Dairy Farmers of Canada, NSERC, CONACYT.
Objectives Studies have suggested that high-fat (HF) diets are associated with immune dysfunction, which results in a lower production of IL-2 and a lower proportion of helper T cells. Providing a diet containing 100% phosphatidylcholine (PC), a form of choline mainly found in eggs, has been shown to increase IL-2 production early in life. However, this is of no relevance for human consumption since no human diet will contain 100% PC. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the dose effect of egg-PC added to a high fat diet compared to a control high fat and low fat diets on T cell function in male Wistar rats. Methods At four weeks of age, male Wistar rats were randomized to consume one of 6 diets: 1- Control low fat (CLF, 10%wt/wt fat, 100% free choline (FC), n = 10); 2- Control high fat (CHF, 25% wt/wt fat, 100% FC, n = 10); 3- 100% PCHF (100PCHF, 25% wt/wt fat, 100% PC, n = 10); 4- 75% PCHF (75PCHF, 25% wt/wt fat, 75% PC, 25% FC, n = 10); 5- 50% PCHF (50PCHF, 25% wt/wt fat, 50% PC, 50% FC, n = 10); 6- 25% PCHF (25PCHF; 25% wt/wt fat, 25% PC, 75% FC, n = 10). Fatty acid composition was closely matched in all of the diets. Anthropometric data was collected through the duration of the study (12 weeks). At the end of the study, splenocytes phenotypes were measured by flow cytometry. Results From week 1 to week 10 there was no difference in body weight between the diets. Starting from week 2 the CLF group had a higher food intake compared to the other groups. The 50PCHF diet had a higher proportion of helper T cells (CD4+) compared to the CLF and CHF diets. In addition, 50PCHF had a higher proportion of helper T cells expressing IL-2 receptors (CD4+CD25+) compared to 25PCHF (P < 0.05). 50PCHF also had a higher proportion of T cells expressing a memory marker (CD3+CD27+) compared with all HF diets (all P < 0.05) but not the CLF diet. Conclusions Our results suggest that a diet providing 50% of total choline in the form of egg-PC normalizes the proportion of T cells expressing CD27 in the context of a HF diet which may lead to a better immune response if a second exposure to a pathogen occurs. Whether the higher proportion of helper T cells expressing the IL-2 receptor in the 50PCHF group is associated with better T cell response upon challenge remains to be investigated. Funding Sources Egg farmers of Canada, NSERC.
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