Characterizing the neuroimmune environment of offspring in a novel model of maternal allergic asthma and particulate matter exposure
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by the presence of decreased social interactions and an increase in stereotyped and repetitive behaviors. Epidemiology studies suggest that cases of ASD are on the rise. Similarly, rates of asthma are increasing, and the presence of maternal asthma during pregnancy increases the likelihood of a child being later diagnosed with ASD. Particulate matter (PM), via air pollution, is an environmental factor known to worsen the symptoms of asthma, but also, PM has been associated with increased risk of neuropsychiatric disorders including ASD. Despite the links between asthma and PM with neuropsychiatric disorders, there is a lack of laboratory models investigating combined prenatal exposure to asthma and PM on offspring neurodevelopment. Thus, we developed a novel mouse model that combines exposure to maternal allergic asthma (MAA) and ultrafine iron-soot (UIS), a common component of PM. In the current study, female BALB/c mice were primed for allergic asthma with ovalbumin (OVA) prior to pregnancy. Following mating and beginning on gestational day 2 (GD2), dams were exposed to either aerosolized OVA or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) for 1 hour. Following the 1-hour exposure, pregnant females were then exposed to UIS or clean air for 4 hours. Offspring brains were collected at postnatal days (P)15 and (P)35. Cortices and hippocampal regions were then isolated and assessed for changes in cytokines using a Luminex bead-based multiplex assay. Analyses identified changes in many cytokines across treatment groups at both timepoints in the cortex, including interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-2, IL-13, and IL-17, which remained elevated from P15 to P35 in all treatment conditions compared to controls. In the hippocampus at P15, elevations in cytokines were also identified across the treatment groups, namely interferon gamma (IFNγ) and IL-7. The combination of MAA and UIS exposure (MAA-UIS) during pregnancy resulted in an increase in microglia density in the hippocampus of offspring, as identified by IBA-1 staining. Together, these data indicate that exposure to MAA, UIS, and MAA-UIS result in changes in the neuroimmune environment of offspring that persist into adulthood.
Source: Journal of Neuroinflammation
Authors: Juan M. Tamayo, Hadley C. Osman, Jared J. Schwartzer, Kent E. Pinkerton, Paul Ashwood
Institutions: University of California, Davis, Mount Holyoke College
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,490
Awards: G1232623416, G1840065952, Maternal Interleukin-4 and allergic asthma in mouse offspring behavioral deficits, Maternal asthma and brain development, G4039542471, G4094664809, Immune regulation and autism, The effects of wildfire exposure on maternal allergic asthma and consequences on neurobiology, The effects of environmental air pollutants on maternal allergic asthma and its neurobiological consequences, G7981750140, UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Core Center
OpenAlex ID: W4388222354