Food allergy prevention in progeny by a prebiotics supplementation during pregnancy in a preclinical study

Food allergies (FAs) are associated with alterations in the gut microbiota, epithelial barrier and immune tolerance. These dysfunctions are observed in the first month of life, revealing that very early intervention, such as during the antenatal period, is crucial for disease prevention. Nutritional strategies such as prebiotics in early life may reduce food allergies in child. Indeed some prebiotics such as galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and inulin are able to induce a tolerogenic environment, epithelial barrier reinforcement and gut microbiota modulation, but the ideal time period for intervention is unknown. Herein, we investigated whether GOS/inulin supplementation during gestation could protect progeny against FAs in mice. We demonstrated that prebiotics supplementa-tion restructured the fecal microbiota of pregnant mice toward beneficial strains. This modification was maintained after stopping prebiotics consumption and was trans-ferred to pups who maintained these changes to adulthood. Moreover, B and T regu-latory subsets were increased in pups born from supplemented mothers, inducing a tolerogenic environment and protecting them against FAs.