Prenatal exposure to a pro-inflammatory stimulus causes delays in the development of the innate immune response to LPS in the offspring.

Growing evidence suggests that maternal health during the prenatal period is a critical determinant of adult immuno-competence. This study aimed to characterise the innate immune response to bacterial exposure in rat offspring following maternal exposure to a pro-inflammatory stimulus. The offspring's innate immune responses were investigated at four developmental timepoints in the rat by determination of immune cell subtypes and TNF-alpha and IL-1beta response to in-vivo LPS exposure. The pre-weaned offspring of exposed dams demonstrated no immune response to the LPS challenge, whereas control offspring responded with a typical elevation in cytokine levels. In pubescence no differences were observed between the responses of the control and exposed offspring. In adulthood and senescence, offspring of endotoxin treated dams had significantly less monocytes in circulation than control offspring and differential sex effects were only evident in these older animals. The developmental profile of immune functioning following prenatal immune activation has not previously been demonstrated. This study highlights the prenatal period as one of importance in determining later immune function.