Figures & data
Figure 1. Experimental design. (A) Determination of the effects of pregnancy on pre-existing maternal allergy. Mice received 2 IA exposures to MACA before breeding. Some mice received additional exposures post-breeding (MA-5; n=15), while others did not (MA-2; n=12). (B) Determination of the effects of pregnancy on future sensitization. MACA-naïve female mice were bred by timed cohabitation with male mice. After pup weaning, female mice received 3 IA exposures to either MACA (n=28) or HBSS (n=28).
Table 1. Effects of maternal treatment on pregnancy success and pup viability.
Figure 2. BALF characteristics. BALF LDH activity, total protein concentration, and total and differential cell counts in mice sensitized before breeding with or without exposure during pregnancy. Data shown are expressed as mean ± SE. Parous MA-2 n = 6; Nulliparous MA-2 n = 6; Parous MA-5 n = 5; Nulliparous MA-5 n = 10.
Figure 3. Total and MACA-specific IgE. The assay limit of detection was 6.25 ng/mL for serum and BALF total IgE. Data shown are expressed as mean ± SE. Parous MA-2 n = 6; Nulliparous MA-2 n = 6; Parous MA-5 n = 5; Nulliparous MA-5 n = 10.
Table 2. Respiratory responses to increasing concentrations of methacholine aerosol in sensitized mice with or without post-breeding allergen exposure.
Figure 4. BALF characteristics. BALF LDH activity, total protein concentration, total and differential cell counts, and IgE levels in mice bred before sensitization. The assay limit of detection was 6.25 ng/mL for serum total IgE. Data shown are expressed as mean ± SE. *P < 0.05, ***P < 0.001 for MACA cohort average compared to HBSS cohort average. Parous n = 11 and Nulliparous n = 17 for both MACA and HBSS treatment groups.
Table 3. Respiratory responses to increasing concentrations of methacholine aerosol in MACA and HBSS exposed mice.