Imprinting of maternal thyroid hormones in the offspring

ABSTRACT

Thyroid hormones (THs) during pregnancy contribute significantly to cellular differentiation and development in several tissues of the offspring, principally the central nervous system (CNS). TH deficiencies, such as hypothyroidism or hypothyroxinemia, are highly frequent during pregnancy worldwide and known to be detrimental for the development of the fetus. The function of CNS in the offspring gestated under TH deficiency will be irreversible impaired, causing low intellectual quotient, attention deficit, and mental retardation. On the other hand, little is known about the effects of TH deficiency in the offspring immune system, being the prevalent notion that the effects are reversible and only for a while will affect the number of B and T cells. Recent studies have shown that maternal hypothyroidism can altered the function of immune system in the offspring, rendering the female offspring more susceptible to suffer autoimmune-inflammatory diseases, such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and to be more resistant to a bacterial infection. In this article we discuss these recent findings, as well as the possible mechanisms underlying these effects and the potential implications for human health.

KEYWORDS:

• Hypothyroidism
• hypothyroxinemia
• immune system

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Funding

This work was supported by funding from the Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy from Chile (P09/016-F for MCO, CR, SB and AMK), the ECOS France-Chile grant, FONDECYT 1130996, FONDECYT 1161525 FONDECYT 1110604, FONDECYT no 1070352, FONDECYT no 1050979, FONDECYT no 1040349, FONDECYT no 1100926, FONDECYT no 1110397, FONDECYT no 1100971, FONDECYT no 1150862, FONDECYT POSTDOCTORADO 3130539, FONDECYT 1140010, FONDECYT 1160695, Núcleo UNAB DI-741-15/N, Beca Doctorado Nacional, CONICYT (LFV).