This study examined the impact of maternal undernutrition during gestation and/or lactation on neonatal immune indices. From day 10 of gestation to term, pregnant rats received either ad libitum (AdLib) feeding or 50% food restriction (FR). After birth, pups were either nursed by their own dams or cross-fostered, resulting in three groups (n = 6 per group): a control group with AdLib feeding throughout (AdLib/AdLib), a group with FR only during gestation (FR/AdLib), and a group with FR during both gestation and lactation (FR/FR). At day of life 1 and at three weeks of age, spleen and thymus weights, as well as basal and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated TNF levels and white blood cell indices, were measured in male offspring. At day of life 1, immunological indices were similar among groups. By three weeks, monocyte percentage was significantly decreased in FR/FR compared with AdLib/AdLib (1.6 ± 0.5% vs. 3.1 ± 0.4%). Relative spleen weight (adjusted for body weight) was also significantly lower in FR/FR compared with both AdLib/AdLib and FR/AdLib. Following LPS administration, TNF-α levels were reduced in FR/FR compared with FR/AdLib and AdLib/AdLib (206 ± 28 vs. 511 ± 91 and 484 ± 59 pg/ml, respectively; P < 0.05). Moreover, in FR/FR offspring, monocyte (5.4 ± 1.1% vs. 2.0 ± 0.6% and 2.0 ± 0.7%) and neutrophil (50.6 ± 5.5% vs. 17.2 ± 2.4% and 20.0 ± 4.2%) percentages were significantly increased, while lymphocyte percentage (43.2 ± 5.9% vs. 80.0 ± 2.4% and 77.2 ± 4.4%) was decreased compared with FR/AdLib and AdLib/AdLib. These findings suggest that undernutrition during both prenatal and postnatal periods can attenuate neonatal immunity by decreasing basal monocyte counts and impairing cytokine responses.
Beloosesky et al. (Thu,) studied this question.