Perinatal administration of Saccharomyces cerevisiae UFMG A-905 prevents asthma development in the offspring of mice

Asthma prevalence has been increasing in communities that become more urbanised. Our previous results showed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae UFMG A-905 prevented the development of asthma symptoms and characteristics in a dose-dependent manner. Perinatal programming theory proposes that early exposure to some stimuli may have a protective effect in adult life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of perinatal administration of S. cerevisiae UFMG A-905 in the prevention of asthma in the offspring of mice. S. cerevisiae UFMG A-905 was cultured in YPD broth medium and administered to three groups of mice: before conception, during gestation and lactation (CGL group); during gestation and lactation (GL group); and only during lactation (L group). The offspring of these animals were sensitised and challenged with ovalbumin. Two control groups received saline in the same periods. After, in vivo measurements of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) were performed. Total and differential cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL); ELISA for interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, and IL-17A in the lung homogenate or BAL; and ELISA for ovalbumin (OVA)-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) were performed. The animals of the CGL, GL, and L group, when compared to the OVA group, presented a significant reduction of AHR (P < 0.01), levels of IL-5 (P < 0.001) in BAL, and IL-4 (P < 0.05) and IL-13 (P < 0.01) in the lung homogenate. Serum IgE levels were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in CGL and GL groups when compared to the OVA group, but not in the L group. Only in the group L, there was a significant decrease in the number of total cells (P < 0.01) and eosinophils (P < 0.05). Perinatal administration of S. cerevisiae UFMG A-905 prevented the development of asthma-like characteristics and may be an option for asthma management. The protective effects on the offspring were more prominent when the yeast was given during lactation.