TY - JOUR T1 - Analysis of IL-6 function in transmaternal asthma protection induced by Acinetobacter Iwoffii JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 40 IS - Suppl 56 SP - P231 AU - Dörthe Andrea Kesper AU - Olaf Pinkenburg AU - Petra Ina Pfefferle AU - Holger Garn AU - Harald Renz Y1 - 2012/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P231.abstract N2 - Introduction:It has been shown in a mouse model that treatment of pregnant mice with the farm- derived bacterium Acinetobacter lwoffii F78 protects the progeny of these mice against experimental induced asthma but until now it is not clear how the protective effect is transmitted from the mother to the fetus.Aim and subjectives:To find out if the upregulation of IL-6 during the treatment of pregnant mice with Acintobacter lwoffii is involved in transmitting the asthma-protective effect from the mother to the offspring.Methods:To analyze the role of IL-6 in transmaternal asthma protection female IL-6 ko mice in a Balb/c background (IL-6 -/-) were treated with Acinetobacter lwoffii F78 and mated to wildtype males (IL-6 +/+). The heterozygous offspring (IL-6 +/-) was than sensitized and challenged with OVA to analyse the asthmatic phenotype. To rule out that already the loss of one copy of IL-6 affects the asthmatic phenotype without A. lwoffii treatment the asthmatic phenotype of IL-6 ko and IL-6 heterozygous mice was additionally analysed in an acute asthma model.Results:In the acute model IL-6 ko mice exhibit an exacerbated asthma phenotype with increased numbers of eosinophils in the BAL and augmented concentration of Th2 cytokines compared to the wildtype. The heterozygous mice show the same phenotype as wt mice. In the prenatal model the offspring of IL-6 ko female treated with A. lwoffii display a strong asthmatic phenotype.Conclusions:IL-6 might be involved in transmaternal asthma-protection induced by the farm-derived bacterium Acinetobacter lwoffii. ER -