Neonatal cytokine profile in the airway mucosal lining fluid is skewed by maternal atopy

Rationale: Heredity from mother or father may impact differently in complexdiseases, suchasatopy.Maternal atopy isastronger risk factor than paternal atopy for the development of atopy in the offspring.We hypothesized that mother's and father's atopy would have a differential imprinting on the cytokines and chemokines in the upper airway mucosal lining fluid of healthy neonates. Objectives: To study parental atopic imprinting on the cytokines and chemokines in the upper airway mucosal lining fluid of healthy neonates. Methods: Eighteen cytokines and chemokineswere quantified in nasal mucosal lining fluid in 309 neonates from the novel unselected Copenhagen Prospective Study on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) birth cohort. Measurements and Main Results:Maternal, but not paternal, atopic status (asthma, hay fever, or eczema with or without sensitization) was associated with general down-regulation of all 18 mediators assessed by principal component analysis (overall P = 0.015). Conclusions:Maternalatopy,butnotpaternal atopy,showedastrong linkage with a suppressed mucosal cytokine and chemokine signature in asymptomatic neonates, suggesting imprinting by the maternal milieu in utero or perinatal life.