Dataset Information

Decreased memory B cells and increased CD8 memory T cells in blood of breastfed children: the generation R study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Breastfeeding provides a protective effect against infectious diseases in infancy. Still, immunological evidence for enhanced adaptive immunity in breastfed children remains inconclusive.

Objective

To determine whether breastfeeding affects B- and T-cell memory in the first years of life.

Methods

We performed immunophenotypic analysis on blood samples within a population-based prospective cohort study. Participants included children at 6 months (n=258), 14 months (n=166), 25 months (n=112) and 6 years of age (n=332) with both data on breastfeeding and blood lymphocytes. Total B- and T-cell numbers and their memory subsets were determined with 6-color flow cytometry. Mothers completed questionnaires on breastfeeding when their children were aged 2, 6, and 12 months. Multiple linear regression models with adjustments for potential confounders were performed.

Results

Per month continuation of breastfeeding, a 3% (95% CI -6, -1) decrease in CD27+IgM+, a 2% (95 CI % -5, -1) decrease in CD27+IgA+ and a 2% (95% CI -4, -1) decrease in CD27-IgG+ memory B cell numbers were observed at 6 months of age. CD8 T-cell numbers at 6 months of age were 20% (95% CI 3, 37) higher in breastfed than in non-breastfed infants. This was mainly found for central memory CD8 T cells and associated with exposure to breast milk, rather than duration. The same trend was observed at 14 months, but associations disappeared at older ages.

Conclusions

Longer breastfeeding is associated with increased CD8 T-cell memory, but not B-cell memory numbers in the first 6 months of life. This transient skewing towards T cell memory might contribute to the protective effect against infectious diseases in infancy.

SUBMITTER: Jansen MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4436360 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Decreased memory B cells and increased CD8 memory T cells in blood of breastfed children: the generation R study.

Jansen Michelle A E MA van den Heuvel Diana D van Zelm Menno C MC Jaddoe Vincent W V VW Hofman Albert A de Jongste Johan C JC Hooijkaas Herbert H Moll Henriette A HA

PloS one 20150518 5

<h4>Background</h4>Breastfeeding provides a protective effect against infectious diseases in infancy. Still, immunological evidence for enhanced adaptive immunity in breastfed children remains inconclusive.<h4>Objective</h4>To determine whether breastfeeding affects B- and T-cell memory in the first years of life.<h4>Methods</h4>We performed immunophenotypic analysis on blood samples within a population-based prospective cohort study. Participants included children at 6 months (n=258), 14 months ...[more]

PMID: 25993335

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Project description:BackgroundAdaptive immunity has been implicated in atherosclerosis in animal models and small clinical studies. Whether chronic immune activation is associated with atherosclerosis in otherwise healthy individuals remains underexplored. We hypothesized that activation of adaptive immune responses, as reflected by higher proportions of circulating CD4(+) memory cells and lower proportions of naive cells, would be associated with subclinical atherosclerosis.Methods and findingsWe examined cross-sectional relationships of circulating CD4(+) naive and memory T cells with biomarkers of inflammation, serologies, and subclinical atherosclerosis in 912 participants of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Circulating CD4(+) naive cells were higher in women than men and decreased with age (all p-values <0.0001). European-Americans had higher levels of naive cells and lower levels of memory cells compared with African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans (all p-values ?0.0005). Lower naive/higher memory cells were associated with interleukin-6 levels. In multivariate models, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and H. Pylori titers were strongly associated with higher memory and lower naive cells (all p-values <0.05). Higher memory cells were associated with coronary artery calcification (CAC) level in the overall population [?-Coefficient (95% confidence interval (CI)) ?=?0.20 (0.03, 0.37)]. Memory and naive (inversely) cells were associated with common carotid artery intimal media thickness (CC IMT) in European-Americans [memory: ??=? 0.02 (0.006, 0.04); naive: ??=?-0.02 (-0.004, -0.03)].ConclusionsThese results demonstrate that the degree of chronic adaptive immune activation is associated with both CAC and CC IMT in otherwise healthy individuals, consistent with the known role of CD4(+) T cells, and with innate immunity (inflammation), in atherosclerosis. These data are also consistent with the hypothesis that immunosenescence accelerates chronic diseases by putting a greater burden on the innate immune system, and suggest the importance of prospective studies and research into strategies to modulate adaptive immune activation in chronic disease states such as atherosclerosis.

Dataset Information

Decreased memory B cells and increased CD8 memory T cells in blood of breastfed children: the generation R study.

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Decreased memory B cells and increased CD8 memory T cells in blood of breastfed children: the generation R study.

Similar Datasets

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