Immunoprogramming by Maternal Fibre and Polyphenol Intake Enhances Humoral Systemic and Mucosal Immunity in Adult Offspring

Abstract

Maternal diet is an element of the exposome that could shape the immune development in mothers’ offspring. Although diets containing fibre and polyphenols are known for their direct immunomodulatory properties, their influence on the immune status of the adult offspring of mothers following such diets remains unclear. This preclinical study aimed to establish whether maternal consumption of a fibre- and polyphenol-enriched (FP) diet during a period including pregestation, gestation, and lactation modulates the immune response to a specific antigenic challenge in the offspring later in life. For this purpose, female Wistar rats were fed either a reference or FP diet across the above three periods. Their offspring, fed with a standard diet after weaning, were immunized with ovalbumin (OVA) at the age of seven weeks. Offspring from FP-fed mothers exhibited a markedly enhanced humoral immune response, characterized by elevated levels of anti-OVA antibodies in both systemic and mucosal compartments. No significant differences were observed in the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response. Moreover, FP offspring displayed a differential immunoglobulin (Ig) profiles in plasma and mesenteric lymph nodes. In parallel, an FP maternal diet changed the lymphoid composition in both the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes of the offspring. In particular, there was a relative increased proportion of CD8+ cells in TCRαβ+ and NKT subsets. These findings provide evidence that a maternal diet enriched with fibre and polyphenols can durably program offspring immunity, enhancing their capacity to mount more efficient humoral systemic and mucosal responses in adulthood.