British Journal of Nutrition

Table of Contents - 2009 - Volume 102, Issue 06  

Full Papers

Nutritional Immunology

Higher immunoglobulin production in conjugated linoleic acid-supplemented rats during gestation and suckling

Carolina Ramírez-Santanaa1a2, Francisco J. Pérez-Canoa1a2 c1, Cristina Castellotea1a2a3, Margarida Castella1a2, Montserrat Riveroa4, María Rodríguez-Palmeroa4 and Àngels Francha1a2a3

a1 Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII s/n, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain

a2 Institut de Recerca en Nutrició i Seguretat Alimentaria (INSA-UB), Barcelona, Spain

a3 CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain

a4 Ordesa Group, Research Department, Scientific Park of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Abstract

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been reported to exert beneficial physiological effects on body composition and the immune system. However, little information is available on the influence of CLA on immune function during early life periods. The present study evaluates the effect of feeding an 80:20 mixture of cis-9, trans-11- and trans-10, cis-12-CLA isomers during gestation and suckling on the systemic immune response of weaned Wistar rats. Pups received dietary CLA from dams through the placental barrier and during suckling by breast milk (group A) or by oral administration (group B). Pups from group C only received CLA during suckling by oral administration. Group D constituted the reference group. Milk from dams fed the CLA diet had a high content of CLA and higher IgA and IgG concentrations than rats fed the standard diet. The plasma of pups from groups A, B and C showed six, twelve and nine times higher content of the cis-9, trans-11-CLA isomer than that of the group D pups. Rats from group A exhibited higher serum IgG concentrations than rats from the rest of the groups (22·14 (sem 2·14) v. about 5 mg/ml; P < 0·05), whereas rats from groups A and B showed approximately 2-fold higher splenocyte IgM production than rats from groups C and D. However, CLA supplementation did not influence significantly the splenocyte proliferative response or cytokine secretion. Supplementation during gestation and suckling with an 80:20 cis-9, trans-11–trans-10, cis-12 CLA mix enhances the production of the main in vivo and in vitro Ig isotypes in Wistar rats.

(Received September 24 2008)

(Revised February 09 2009)

(Accepted February 10 2009)

(Online publication April 02 2009)

Key Words:

Correspondence:

c1 Corresponding author: Dr Francisco J. Pérez-Cano, fax +34 934035901, email franciscoperez@ub.edu

Footnotes

Abbreviations: Ab, absorbance; c9, t11, cis-9, trans-11; CLA, conjugated linoleic acid; t10, c12, trans-10, cis-12