Intestinal Microflora, Involved in IgA Antibody Production

So we did an experiment, we treated mice with several different kinds of antibiotics. Then we harvested mammary gland two weeks after parturition. Then we analyzed the IgA producing plasma cells in the mammary gland or in milk. So this is the data, just these four treated mice you should detect IgA producing plasma cells in the mammary gland. Of course, you found those cells. And for ampicillin treatments treated mice, or neomycin treated mice, the number of IgA producing plasma cells are almost comparable to that you hound in the distilled were treated mice. that you found in the distilled were treated mice.

However, in the case of vancomycin treatment, for treatment with altogether the number of IgA producing plasma cells will dramatically reduce, significantly reduce compared with control mice or ampicillin, neomycin treated mice. Well consistent with the number of IgA producing plasma cells that you found in the mammary gland milk IgA in vancomycin treated, or mixed treated mice was reduced significantly, compared with other groups. So meaning that vancomycin affects the intestinal microbial environment. That’s why the vancomycin treated mice reduce was abolished in their intestinal immune system. That’s why they cannot normally produce maternal IgA antibodies. To confirm the importance of intestinal microflora in inducing the maternal IgA antibodies in the mammary gland, we did a final experiment.

In this case, we treated mice with all antibiotics including ampicillin, neomycin, and vancomycin, from the pregnant through the mating. Through one-week after parturition, we stopped the treatment. Then what we did was we collected feces from healthy pregnant lactation mice. We transferred the healthy faces once a day for seven days into the antibiotics pre-treated mice. One week after the transplantation, with healthy feces we harvested mammary gland tissues, and then we analyzed the IgA productions. Why do we did this experiment? We wanted to demonstrate the importance of feces derived microbial organisms to induce maternal IgA antibodies. And this is the data, that I’ve already shown you today, finally.

So if you don’t do FMT, that is Fecal Microbiota Transplantion, he number of IgA producing plasma cells in the mammary gland is very low because their microbiome environment was distorted by antibiotics treatment. The IgA productions in the milk is not rescued. However, if you do the Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in the antibiotics treated mice, the number of IgA producing plasma cells increased significantly compared with no FMT group. And consistent with the number of IgA producing plasma cells, the milk IgA concentrations was also elevated significantly compared with no FMT group. So meaning that Fecal Microbiota Transplantation affect, stimulate or change intestinal microbial environment, then their gastrointestinal immune system is stimulated then maternal IgA antibodies is produced. So let me summarize my talk.

I mentioned that in the mother, during pregnancy or lactation, gut microbial environment, or gut immune environment. Both are very important in order to produce IgA producing plasma cells the cells respond to the CCL28 which is produced from the mammary gland by CCR10. So they start to migrate into the mammary gland then they produce IgA antibodies. Then the IgA antibodies, maternal antibodies, are transfers to the baby from the mom. So the improvement of intestinal immune and the microbial environment is very important for improving the quality of breastfeeding. That means to make the baby much healthy, breastfeeding is very important. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

And I hope that you have an interest to produce in the science of maternal IgA productions. Thank you. Bye-bye.