Fetal origin of allergic asthma: insights on mechanistic cues and therapeutic targets arising from a mouse model of prenatal stress challenge – Fetal Programming of allergic disea…

Aims: Prenatal stress challenge is a pivotal environmental factor which has been proposed to increase the vulnerability of offspring to develop chronic immune diseases in later life. We analyze the effect of prenatal exposure to stress. Methods: BALB/c mice were exposed to sound stress during late gestation. Allergic asthma was induced in the offspring. We analyzed immune cells in lungs, bronchioalveolar fluid (BAL) and lung-draining lymph nodes as well as cytokine concentrations in the BAL. Further, stress-challenged pregnant females were treated with a progesterone derivative. Results: Stress challenge resulte…