Early Nutrition, Including the Role of Breast Milk, and Modulation of Tolerogenic and Immunogenic Responses

Fig 1. Intestinal immune system. The default response to harmless antigens in the gut is the induction of a state of immunological hyporesponsiveness, known as oral tolerance, and this may be the homeostatic mechanism that prevents intestinal disorders such as celiac disease and Crohn’s disease, as well as atopy. According to Mowat, the way in which antigen is presented to the immune system is the critical factor that controls whether tolerance or immunity results, and most evidence indicates that dendritic cells (DCs) are likely to be the antigen-presenting cells involved (Fig 1). In the