Maternal vitamin D and E intakes during early pregnancy are associated with airway epithelial cell responses in neonates

• Published in: Clinical and experimental allergy Vol. 45; no. 5; pp. 920 - 927
• Main Authors: Miller, D. R., Turner, S. W., Spiteri-Cornish, D., Scaife, A. R., Danielian, P. J., Devereux, G. S., Walsh, G. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-05-2015; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; airway epithelial cells; Cohort Studies; Cytokines - biosynthesis; Epithelial Cells - metabolism; Female; Humans; Hypersensitivity - epidemiology; Hypersensitivity - etiology; Infant, Newborn; Inflammation Mediators - metabolism; Maternal Exposure; neonate; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Respiratory Mucosa - immunology; Respiratory Mucosa - metabolism; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - administration & dosage; vitamin E; Vitamin E - administration & dosage; neonate; vitamin D; airway epithelial cells; vitamin E
• ISSN: 0954-7894; 1365-2222
• DOI: 10.1111/cea.12490

Summary
Background
Antenatal factors including maternal diet may predispose to airway disease, possibly by impacting on fetal airway development.
Objective
This cohort study tested the hypothesis that maternal vitamin D and E status in early pregnancy is associated with airway epithelial cell (AEC) responses in new born infants and examined constitutive and TNFα/IL‐1β, house dust mite (HDM) extract or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐stimulated neonatal AEC responses in vitro.
Methods
Maternal dietary vitamin D and E intakes (plasma 25[OH]D3 or α‐tocopherol) were characterized at 10–12 weeks gestation. Neonatal nasal AECs were collected soon after birth and cultured to tertiary passage. Constitutive and stimulated – TNFα/IL‐1β, HDM extract or LPS – secretory responses (VEGF, RANTES, MCP‐1, IL‐17A, IFN‐γ, GM‐CSF, eotaxin, MIP1‐α, MIP1‐β, ICAM, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, TNF) in 139 AEC cultures were quantified.
Results
AEC mediator release was greater following TNF‐α/IL‐1β, HDM or LPS stimulation compared to constitutive release. Increased maternal dietary vitamin D was associated with significant increases in IL‐10 release by AEC after stimulation with TNF‐α/IL‐1β (P = 0.024) or HDM (P = 0.049). Maternal plasma α‐tocopherol at 10–12 weeks gestation was positively associated with MIP1α (Spearman's rho 0.242, P = 0.009) and IL‐3 (ρ 0.189, P = 0.043) responses after TNF‐α/IL‐1β stimulation and negatively associated with TNF (ρ ‐0.404, P = 0.011) and MIP1β (ρ ‐0.322, P = 0.046) responses after LPS stimulation.
Discussion
Neonatal AECs respond to pro‐inflammatory and allergenic stimuli in vitro demonstrating their potential to function as components of the innate immune response. Our findings suggest that associations exist between maternal micronutrient intake during early pregnancy and aspects of stimulated neonatal airway epithelial cell secretory function that may in turn impact on the development of asthma and/or allergic rhinitis in later life.