O impacto da obesidade materna no desenvolvimento de alergia alimentar da prole

Abstract

Obesity, particularly among women, shows a growing global trend, with a female prevalence of 18.3% in 2022, according to the WHO. Maternal obesity, often associated with low-grade chronic inflammation, represents a significant risk factor for obstetric complications and adverse effects on offspring health, such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, and a higher likelihood of congenital anomalies. Simultaneously, food allergies have also increased, affecting 6–8% of children and 8–10% of adults in the United States. Evidence suggests that inflammation associated with obesity may exacerbate allergic reactions. Although the relationship between obesity and inflammation is well-established, few studies explore how maternal obesity might influence offspring susceptibility to food allergies, particularly in experimental models. In this context, this study aimed to investigate whether diet-induced obesity in female mice increases offspring susceptibility to food allergies. Maternal obesity was induced in C57BL/6 female mice through a high-calorie diet rich in sugar and fat for 13 weeks. Following this period, the mice underwent mating, pregnancy, and lactation. Offspring, at six weeks of age, were subjected to a protocol for food allergy induction to ovalbumin. The levels of secretory IgA, anti-OVA IgE, and anti-OVA IgG1 immunoglobulins were measured from fecal and serum samples using the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Intestinal mucosal integrity was analyzed through histological sections stained with HE and PAS. The results indicated that maternal obesity reduced litter size and increased the offspring's body weight during the juvenile phase, observed at six weeks of age. When subjected to the food allergy protocol, offspring of obese mothers exhibited greater body weight variation and reduced levels of total secretory IgA in the intestinal mucus. However, maternal obesity did not influence specific anti-OVA immunoglobulin levels associated with allergy symptoms, nor did it significantly compromise the intestinal mucosal epithelium integrity. We conclude that maternal obesity partially affects offspring predisposition, leading to milder clinical manifestations in the experimental food allergy model