Maternal
iron deficiency occurs in 40-50% of all pregnancies and is associated with an increased risk of respiratory disease and
asthma in children. We used murine models to examine the effects of lower
iron status during pregnancy on lung function,
inflammation and structure, as well as its contribution to increased severity of
asthma in the offspring. A low
iron diet during pregnancy impairs lung function, increases airway
inflammation, and alters lung structure in the absence and presence of experimental
asthma. A low
iron diet during pregnancy further increases these major disease features in offspring with experimental
asthma. Importantly, a low
iron diet increases neutrophilic
inflammation, which is indicative of more severe disease, in
asthma. Together, our data demonstrate that lower
dietary iron and systemic deficiency during pregnancy can lead to physiological, immunological and anatomical changes in the lungs and airways of offspring that predispose to greater susceptibility to respiratory disease. These findings suggest that correcting
iron deficiency in pregnancy using
iron supplements may play an important role in preventing or reducing the severity of respiratory disease in offspring. They also highlight the utility of experimental models for understanding how
iron status in pregnancy affects disease outcomes in offspring and provide a means for testing the efficacy of different
iron supplements for preventing disease.