OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of maternal staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) administration during pregnancy on CD3⁺ TCR Vβ8⁺T cells of adult offspring rats.

METHODSPregnant maternal rats at gestational day (GD) 16 were injected intravenously with 15 µg SEB in 0.2 ml PBS (SEB group), and the control rats receive the same volume of PBS. Flow cytometry was used to determine the levels of CD3⁺ TCR Vβ8⁺T cells in both the thymus and peripheral blood of adult offspring rats and the response of these cells to a secondary SEB administration.

RESULTSMaternal SEB administration during pregnancy significantly decreased the percentages of CD3⁺TCR Vβ8⁺T cells in the thymus in adult female (1.760-2.714) and male (1.098-2.088) offspring rats (P<0.05). The change of CD3⁺TCR Vβ8⁺T cells in the peripheral blood was similar to that in the thymus. In the control adult offspring rats, SEB administration at adulthood significantly reduced the percentages of CD3⁺TCR Vβ8⁺T cells in both the thymus and peripheral blood (P<0.05). But in SEB group, a secondary SEB administration in adult offspring rats significantly increased the percentage of CD3⁺TCR Vβ8⁺T cells in the peripheral blood (P<0.05) but not in the thymus (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONMaternal SEB administration during pregnancy can change the response of CD3⁺ TCR Vβ8⁺T cells of adult offspring rats to a secondary SEB administration.