Open AccessEffect of gluten-free diet and antibiotics on murine gut microbiota and immune response to tetanus vaccination
Author(s) -
Pernille Kihl,
Łukasz Krych,
Ling Deng,
Lars H. Hansen,
Karsten Buschard,
Søren Skov,
Dennis Sandris Nielsen,
Axel Kornerup Hansen
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0266719
Subject(s) - immune system , antibiotics , mesenteric lymph nodes , immunology , spleen , gluten free , vaccination , gut flora , biology , bifidobacterium , microbiology and biotechnology , antibody titer , titer , gluten , antibody , lactobacillus , bacteria , food science , genetics
The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of a gluten-free diet and/or antibiotics on tetanus vaccine induced immunoglobulin G titers and immune cell levels in BALB/c mice. The gluten-free diet was associated with a reduced anti-tetanus IgG response, and it increased the relative abundance of the anti-inflammatory Bifidobacterium significantly in some of the mice. Antibiotics also led to gut microbiota changes and lower initial vaccine titer. After a second vaccination, neither gluten-free diet nor antibiotics reduced the titers. In the spleen, the gluten-free diet significantly increased regulatory T cell (T reg ) fractions, CD4 + T cell activation, and tolerogenic dendritic cell fractions and activation, which extend the downregulating effect of the T reg . Therefore, the systemic effect of the gluten-free diet seems mainly tolerogenic. Antibiotics reduced the fractions of CD4 + T and B cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes. These results suggest that vaccine response in mice is under influence of their diet, the gut microbiota and the interplay between them. However, a gluten-free diet seems to work through mechanisms different from those induced by antibiotics. Therefore, diet should be considered when testing vaccines in mice and developing vaccines for humans.