TGF-beta(1), IL-10 and IL-4 in colostrum of allergic and nonallergic mothers.

Abstract

To determine transforming growth factor (TGF) beta(1), interleukin (IL) 4, and IL-10 concentrations in human milk and to assess the relationship between allergic disorders in mothers and the content of the interleukins in their milk. Thirty allergic and 46 healthy mothers were included in the study. Colostrum was collected 2-3 days after delivery. Cytokine concentrations were determined with commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent systems. TGF-beta(1)was found in milk from 23 women in the control group (53.49%) and 11 in the allergy group (37.93%). When TGF-beta(1) was present, the median concentration was higher in the allergy group than in the control (61.5 and 30.4 pg/mL, respectively; P < 0.004). IL-10 was present in the colostrum of all the women and the median IL-10 concentration did not differ between the allergy (50.5 pg/mL) and control (51.5 pg/mL) groups. The probability of occurrence of a positive IL-4 value in the allergy group was greater than in the control group (chi-squared [df=1] = 2.60, P < 0.053). Median IL-4 level did not differ significantly between the two groups (0.5 and 0.5 pg/mL respectively). TGF-beta(1) was detected less often in the colostrum of allergic mothers than in that of mothers without allergy (but the difference was not statistically significant). IL-4 was found more often in the colostrum of allergic mothers than nonallergic ones. The allergy status did not correlate with IL-10 concentration.

Factors affecting breast milk composition and potential consequences for development of the allergic phenotype

“…In contrast, median IL-4 level did not differ significantly between the two groups in a Polish study; nevertheless, IL-4 was more often detected in the colostrum of allergic compared with non-allergic mothers [81]. In both studies, IL-4 was less commonly detected in colostrum and BM, than several other cytokines [80,81]. Similarly, Rudloff and co-authors detected IL-4 in only 20% of the colostrum samples with no significant difference between allergic and non-allergic mothers [82].…”

“…Bottcher et al found higher concentrations of IL-4 in colostrum from allergic compared to non-allergic mothers (80). In contrast, median IL-4 level did not differ significantly between the two groups in a Polish study, nevertheless IL-4 was more often detected in the colostrum of allergic compared to non-allergic mothers (81). In both studies, IL-4 was less commonly detected in colostrum and BM, than several other cytokines (80, 81).…”

“…Its bioactive properties were confirmed by experiments showing that human milk samples inhibited blood lymphocyte proliferation and that this property was greatly reduced by pre-incubation with anti-IL-10 antibody (2). Some studies have either detected no IL-10 (83), or only rarely in colostrum (found in 12% of those tested) and mature milk (6%) (80), while others have found IL10 in most if not all samples (45,81).This variation may be due to the timing of colostrum collection. In the Garofallo's study, high concentrations of IL-10 were detected in samples collected during the first 24 hours and concentrations were lower in milk collected later (45).…”

Colostrum and Mature Human Milk of Women from London, Moscow, and Verona: Determinants of Immune Composition

“…There have been few attempts to investigate relationships between maternal and environmental factors and immune active profiles of HM. Data from a variety of studies suggest that factors such as country of maternal origin, diet, exercise, and exposure to smoke or farming environment in early life may influence colostrum and HM constituents [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22]. …”

Preterm human milk contains a large pool of latent TGF-β, which can be activated by exogenous neuraminidase

“…Whereas psychological stress and infection have a plausible association with preterm birth (18), there is considerable clinical variability in milk TGF-␤ levels, and further study is needed to ascertain the mechanistic basis for these findings. Milk TGF-␤2 concentrations show circadian and seasonal variation (with lower levels in late afternoon and between August and October) and may also be affected by maternal atopy, genetic/ethnic differences, the overall microbial load, and dietary factors (16,26,36,59,68). The effect of bacterial flora, particularly probiotics, on milk TGF-␤ concentrations is a subject of intense scientific scrutiny.…”