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Feeding a Docosahexaenoic Acid Rich Diet During the Suckling and Weaning Period Modulates Immune Function in Offspring
Author(s) -
Richard Caroline,
Goruk Susan,
Field Catherine
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.252.4
Subject(s) - weaning , docosahexaenoic acid , offspring , endocrinology , medicine , lactation , biology , immune system , splenocyte , lipopolysaccharide , cytokine , polyunsaturated fatty acid , fatty acid , immunology , pregnancy , biochemistry , genetics
The objective was to determine the effect of feeding a high docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) diet during the suckling and/or the weaning period on immune system development and function in offspring. Dams were randomized to one of the two nutritionally adequate diets: control diet (N=12, 0% DHA) or DHA diet (N=8, 2.2% DHA). Diets were fed to dams throughout the suckling period and then pups were randomly assigned to one of the two diets for the weaning period. At 6 weeks, immune cell phenotype and cytokine production by mitogen‐stimulated splenocytes were measured. Regardless of the weaning diet, pups fed the DHA diet during suckling had higher interleukin (IL)‐10 production by splenocytes stimulated with Concanavalin A (Con A, P=0.04) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS, P=0.06) vs. the control diet. Feeding a DHA diet at weaning resulted in a lower production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α in ConA‐stimulated splenocytes (P<0.01) and of IL‐1β and TNF‐α in LPS‐stimulated splenocytes (P<0.01) vs. the control diet. Feeding DHA during both periods was associated with higher proportion of total CD27 + cells (P<0.03). Our findings suggest that feeding a DHA diet during the suckling period had a programming effect on the ability of the offspring's cells to produce the regulatory cytokine IL‐10 which may contribute to the reported lower risk for atopic diseases associated with DHA intake during lactation. However, the major modulating effects occurred while DHA was fed during the weaning period with a higher proportion of mature B cells and a lower production of inflammatory cytokines which suggests beneficial effects of supplementing DHA in the weaning diet. Supported from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.