Macpherson, Andrew; Gomez de Agüero Tamargo, Maria de la Mercedes; Ganal-Vonarburg, Stephanie (2017). How nutrition and the maternal microbiota shape the neonatal immune system. Nature reviews - immunology, 17(8), pp. 508-517. Nature Publishing Group 10.1038/nri.2017.58
Text
nri.2017.58.pdf - Published Version Restricted to registered users only Available under License Publisher holds Copyright. Download (2MB) |
||
|
Text
NRI_Macpherson_final Green version.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License Publisher holds Copyright. Download (10MB) | Preview |
The mucosal surfaces of mammals are densely colonized with microorganisms that are commonly referred to as the commensal microbiota. It is believed that the fetus in utero is sterile and that colonization with microorganisms starts only after birth. Nevertheless, the unborn fetus is exposed to a multitude of metabolites that originate from the commensal microbiota of the mother that reach systemic sites of the maternal body. The intestinal microbiota is strongly personalized and influenced by environmental factors, including nutrition. Members of the maternal microbiota can metabolize dietary components, pharmaceuticals and toxins, which can subsequently be passed to the developing fetus or the breast-feeding neonate. In this Review, we discuss the complex interplay between nutrition, the maternal microbiota and ingested chemicals, and summarize their effects on immunity in the offspring.