Maternal polysorbate 80 exposure causes intestinal ILCs and CD4+ T cell developmental abnormalities in mouse offspring

Yiran Liang; Donghui Liu; Yan Li; Haonan Hou; Pengxi Li; Xiaoran Ma; Peize Li; Jing Zhan; Peng Wang

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122392

Maternal polysorbate 80 exposure causes intestinal ILCs and CD4⁺ T cell developmental abnormalities in mouse offspring

Environ Pollut. 2023 Nov 1:336:122392. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122392. Epub 2023 Aug 16.

Authors

Yiran Liang¹, Donghui Liu², Yan Li², Haonan Hou², Pengxi Li², Xiaoran Ma², Peize Li², Jing Zhan², Peng Wang³

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30, Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China; Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Science, China Agricultural University, No. 2, West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China.
² Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Science, China Agricultural University, No. 2, West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China.
³ Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Science, China Agricultural University, No. 2, West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: wangpeng@cau.edu.cn.

PMID: 37595736
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122392

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the transgenerational impacts of maternal intake of polysorbate 80 (P80), an emulsifier widely used in modern society, on the development of offspring immunity. Our results revealed that maternal P80 treatment led to impaired differentiation of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and CD4⁺ T cells in the small intestinal lamina propria (SiLP), resulting in intestinal dyshomeostasis in female offspring. Furthermore, we found that SiLP ILCs abundances were significantly altered in 0-day-old fetuses from P80-treated mothers, indicating a prenatal impact of P80-treated mothers on offspring immunity. Additionally, cesarean section and foster-nursing studies demonstrated that P80-induced altered SiLP ILCs in 0-day-old fetuses could further induce dysregulation of ILCs and CD4⁺ T cells in the SiLP, thus promoting intestinal dysregulation in offspring later in life. Overall, our findings suggest that maternal P80 intake could prenatally program the development of offspring immunity, exerting a significant and long-lasting impact.

Keywords: CD4(+) T cells; Emulsifier; Immunity development; Innate lymphoid cells; Offspring; Polysorbate 80.