Published in:
01-10-2016 | Original Contribution
The content of docosahexaenoic acid in the maternal diet differentially affects the immune response in lactating dams and suckled offspring
Published in: European Journal of Nutrition | Issue 7/2016
Login to get accessAbstract
Purpose
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of feeding a maternal diet supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) while also containing adequate amounts of arachidonic acid on immune system development and function in suckled offspring and lactating rats.
Methods
Sprague–Dawley dams were randomized to one of the two nutritionally adequate experimental diets 24–48 h prior to parturition: control diet (N = 12, 0 % DHA) or high DHA diet (N = 8, 0.9 % DHA of total fatty acids). Diets were fed throughout the lactating/suckling period (21 days), and then, dams and pups were terminated, and immune cell phenotypes and cytokine production by mitogen- or ovalbumin-stimulated splenocytes were measured.
Results
Feeding dams a high DHA diet resulted in a higher proportion of 18:3n-3, 22:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 found in pup’s stomach content (breast milk; P < 0.01). Feeding the high DHA diet had no impact on growth parameters or the ex vivo cytokine production by mitogen-stimulated splenocytes in both dams and pups. There was a higher proportion of OX12+CD80+ cells and a lower production of TGF-β by splenocytes after ovalbumin stimulation in pups from dams fed the DHA diet (both P < 0.05) while maintaining a similar IL-2 production. LPS-stimulated splenocytes from dams fed the high DHA diet produced more TNF-α versus control diet (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
Overall, our results suggest that DHA supplementation in the maternal diet does not change the immune response to mitogens but positively affects the activation of B cells as well as the response to a potential food antigen upon challenge in suckled offspring.