Maternal schistosomiasis alters costimulatory molecules expression in antigen-presenting cells from adult offspring mice

•Study performed with adult offspring born or suckled by schistosomotic mothers.•Expression of costimulatory molecules on APCs in response to OA was investigated.•Suckling by infected mothers enabled an improvement antigen presentation by B cells.•Gestation imprinted in the offspring a weak antigen presentation by APCs.

Adult offspring of Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice showed alterations in immunity to a heterologous antigen, ovalbumin (OA). Prior breastfeeding induced increased production of anti-OA antibodies, while pregnancy impaired it. Here, we investigated the expression of costimulatory molecules on antigen-presenting cells (APCs) of the adult offspring of S. mansoni-infected mothers in response to OA. Newborn mice were divided into three groups: animals Born Infected Mothers (BIM) suckled by non-infected mothers; animals from non-infected mothers Suckled Infected Mothers (SIM); and another group of mice born from and suckled by non-infected mothers (CONTROL). The adult offspring were immunized with subcutaneous OA + adjuvant, and 3-8 days following immunization, double labeling was performed (CD45R/B220 or CD11c and CD80, CD86, CD40 or HLA-DR) on spleen cells. In comparison to the CONTROL group, an early increased frequency of CD40+/CD80+ B cells was observed in SIM mice (p < 0.001/p < 0.05), but no alteration of CD11c+ cells was observed. In contrast, in BIM mice, the frequency of CD86+/CD11c+ cells (p < 0.05) and CD40+/CD80+/CD86+ B cells (p < 0.01/p < 0.01/p < 0.05) was drastically reduced. In conclusion, previous suckling by S. mansoni-infected mothers enabled improved antigen presentation by B cells in adult offspring, whereas gestation in these mothers imprinted offspring with weak antigen presentation by APCs during the immune response to a non-related antigen.

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