Impairment of T-regulatory cells in cord blood of atopic mothers

Low-Dose IL-2 Induces Regulatory T Cell–Mediated Control of Experimental Food Allergy

“…Dysfunctional Tregs have been also identified in allergic individuals (5)(6)(7). Both decreased Treg numbers and function have been reported, particularly in children at high risk for allergic diseases based on maternal atopy compared with children at low risk (8). Studies investigating the pathophysiology of food allergy point to a functional role of Tregs in the development of normal tolerance to food allergens and the spontaneous resolution of milk allergy (9,10).…”

Maternal farm exposure modulates neonatal immune mechanisms through regulatory T cells

“…Cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC), freshly isolated within 24 hours, were stimulated with peptidoglycan (Ppg 10µg/ml), phytohemagglutinin (PHA 5µg/ml) and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus1 (Derp1 30µg/ml) or a combination of Derp1 and Ppg (Derp1+Ppg) for 3 days and compared to unstimulated cells 16,17 . Dose-response and time curves were assessed in optimization experiments.…”

Impaired lipopolysaccharide responsiveness of cord blood mononuclear cells and the risk of asthma: a longitudinal study

“…Furthermore, in our study, parents with no subjective evidence of atopic symptoms had a positive SPT or elevated IgE, suggesting they may still carry hereditary risk for atopy. Finally, elevated parental serum IgE was found to be associated with an increased CBMC proliferative response to PHA, the latter perhaps related to a reduced regulatory T-cell suppressive effect (20). The opposite trend was noted when MD-diagnosed allergy was used.…”

“…This protection might be mediated through modulation of the Th1/Th2 balance in the developing immune system, perhaps via an effect on regulatory T cells, by bacterial products such as LPS (22,23). Indeed, cord blood regulatory T cell number and function were increased in infants exposed to farm environments during pregnancy, and their function was impaired in infants to atopic mothers (8,20). These investigators did not find a significant effect on the CBMC proliferative response; however, their assay differed from ours in the use of a shorter stimulation time and a lower dose of LPS.…”