Non-digestible oligosaccharides reduce immunoglobulin free light-chain concentrations in infants at risk for allergy

• Published in: Pediatric allergy and immunology 2011-08, Vol.22 (5), p.537-542
• Main Authors: Schouten, Bastiaan, Van Esch, Betty C. A. M., Kormelink, Tom G., Moro, Guido E., Arslanoglu, Sertac, Boehm, Günther, Knippels, Léon M. J., Redegeld, Frank A., Willemsen, Linette E. M., Garssen, Johan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allergens - adverse effects; Allergic diseases; Allergic rhinitis; Allergies; allergy; Animals; Asthma; Atopic dermatitis; Babies; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle; Child, Preschool; Clinical trials; Cow's milk; Data processing; Dermatitis, Atopic - epidemiology; Dermatitis, Atopic - immunology; Dermatitis, Atopic - prevention & control; Double-Blind Method; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Female; Food allergies; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; General aspects; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Immune system; Immunofortis; Immunoglobulin E; Immunoglobulin free light-chain; Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains - blood; Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains - immunology; Immunoglobulin lambda-Chains - blood; Immunoglobulin lambda-Chains - immunology; Immunoglobulins; Immunopathology; Incidence; Infant; Infant Formula - chemistry; Infant, Newborn; Infants; Intestinal microflora; Male; maltodextrin; Medical sciences; Milk - chemistry; oligosaccharides; Oligosaccharides - administration & dosage; Oligosaccharides - chemistry; Oligosaccharides - immunology; Prebiotics; Risk factors; Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis; scGOS/lcFOS; Skin allergic diseases. Stinging insect allergies; Supplementation; Treatment Outcome; Whey
• ISSN: 0905-6157; 1399-3038
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-3038.2010.01132.x

To cite this article: Schouten B, Van Esch BCAM, Kormelink TG, Moro GE, Arslanoglu S, Boehm G, Knippels LMJ, Redegeld FA, Willemsen LEM, Garssen J. Non‐digestible oligosaccharides reduce immunoglobulin free light‐chain concentrations in infants at risk for allergy. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2011; 22: 537–542. Prebiotic oligosaccharides influence the intestinal microbiota and can positively modulate the infant’s immune system. It was demonstrated that a special prebiotic mixture (Immunofortis®) of short‐chain galacto‐oligosaccharides (scGOS) and long‐chain fructo‐oligosaccharides (lcFOS) can reduce the cumulative incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in infants at risk for allergy as determined using the AD symptom score (SCORAD). Additionally, it was shown very recently that immunoglobulin free light‐chain (Ig‐fLC) might be involved in the pathophysiology of allergic disease. Increased Ig‐fLC concentrations were found in patients suffering from AD, cow’s milk allergy, allergic rhinitis, or asthma. In this study, the effect of supplementation of scGOS/lcFOS on the Ig‐fLC plasma concentrations in infants at risk for allergy was assessed. The plasma kappa and lambda Ig‐fLC concentrations were measured in a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomized trial, in which infants at risk for developing allergic disease received a hypoallergenic whey formula containing 8 g/l of the scGOS/lcFOS mixture (n = 34) or maltodextrin as a placebo (n = 40) for 6 months. After intervention, plasma samples were collected, and total plasma concentrations of lambda and kappa Ig‐fLC were analyzed using ELISA. Total kappa and lambda Ig‐fLC plasma concentrations were higher in infants suffering from AD when compared to infants without any sign of AD. In infants receiving the prebiotic mixture, the Ig‐fLC levels were significantly lower compared to the placebo‐fed infants (p