Maternal supplementation with Bifidobacterium breve M-16V prevents their offspring from allergic airway inflammation accelerated by the prenatal exposure to an air pollutant aerosol

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 15; no. 9; p. e0238923
• Main Authors: Terada-Ikeda, Chiyoko, Kitabatake, Masahiro, Hiraku, Akari, Kato, Kumiko, Yasui, Satsuki, Imakita, Natsuko, Ouji-Sageshima, Noriko, Iwabuchi, Noriyuki, Hamada, Kaoru, Ito, Toshihiro, Fehrenbach, Heinz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 11-09-2020; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Air pollution; Airway; Allergic reactions; Alveoli; Asthma; Bifidobacteria; Bifidobacterium breve; Biology and Life Sciences; Bronchus; Cytokines; Eosinophils; Exposure; Fecal microflora; Feces; Fly ash; Food; Health aspects; Hypersensitivity; Immune response; Immunology; Infants; Interleukin 13; Interleukin 5; Laboratory animals; Leachates; Leukocytes (eosinophilic); Lymphocytes T; Medicine and Health Sciences; Microbiota; Mothers; Neonates; Newborn babies; Offspring; Outdoor air quality; Pathogenesis; Pollutants; Power plants; Pregnancy; Prenatal experience; Prenatal exposure; Prenatal influences; Prevention; Probiotics; Respiratory hypersensitivity; Respiratory tract diseases; Risk factors; Supplements; Japan
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238923

Bifidobacterium breve M-16V is a probiotic bacterial strain with efficacy in infants achieved by suppressing T-helper type (Th) 2 immune responses and modulating the systemic Th1/Th2 balance. Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy increases asthma susceptibility in offspring. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the maternal intake of B. breve M-16V on susceptibility to asthma accelerated by prenatal exposure to air pollution. The intake of B. breve M-16V in residual oil fly ash (ROFA)-exposed pregnant mice resulted in fewer eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of neonatal mice and reduced allergic lung inflammation. The expressions of Th2 cytokines including IL-5 and IL-13 were decreased in neonatal mice from ROFA-exposed mothers fed B. breve M-16V. The analysis of fecal microbiota from neonatal mice revealed that the intake of B. breve M-16V by mothers changed the composition of fecal microbiota in neonatal mice, which resulted in a decreased population of Firmicutes. Moreover, several bacterial strains of fecal microbiota from neonatal mice had a strong correlation with Th2 cytokines and histological score. These results suggest that the maternal intake of M-16V might have beneficial effects in neonates by preventing and/or alleviating allergic reactions accelerated by prenatal exposure to air pollution.