Effect of maternal SEB administration on the TCR Vβ8⁺T cells of the offspring newborn rats

Objective:To investigate the effects of maternal SEB administration on the TCR Vβ8⁺T cells in the thymus and peripheral blood of offspring newborn rats.Methods:Pregnant rats with gestational 16 days were injected with 15 μg SEB in 0.2 mL PBS by iv(SEB group),and the control group were treated with the same volume of PBS.The thymus and peripheral blood of newborn offspring rats after 0 to 5 days of delivery were harvested,and the levels of TCR Vβ8⁺ T cells of whose were analyzed using the flow cytometry.Results:Compared with the control group,the percentage of CD4⁺ TCR Vβ8⁺T cells in thymus of offspring newborn rats after 0 to 3 days of delivery significantly decreased in SEB group(P<0.05 to P<0.01),and the difference of which in thymus of offspring newborn rats after 4 to 5 days of delivery between two groups was not statistically significnat(P>0.05).In the thymus of offspring newborn rats after 0 to 5 days of delivery,the percentage of CD8⁺ TCR Vβ8⁺ T cells in SEB group was significantly lower than that in control group(P<0.05 to P<0.01),and the absolute number of CD4⁺Vβ8⁺ and CD8⁺Vβ8⁺ T cells in SEB group significantly decreased compared with the control group(P<0.01).In the peripheral blood of offspring newborn rats after 0 to 5 days of delivery,the percentages of the CD4⁺ Vβ8⁺ and CD8⁺ Vβ8⁺ T cells,and the absolute number of CD4⁺ Vβ8⁺ and CD8⁺ Vβ8⁺ T cells in SEB group significantly decreased compared with the control group(P<0.05 to P<0.01).Conclusions:Maternal SEB administration during pregnancy can decrease the levels of TCR Vβ8⁺T cells in the thymus and peripheral blood of offspring newborn rats,and which can continue into adulthood.