Figure 1.

Developmental origins of inflammatory and immune disorders. Prenatal stress, psychosocial stress and xenobiotics exposure may affect the development of the fetal immune system, through affecting immune cells, epigenetic modification of immune-related genes or other physiological systems that regulate immune responses. As a result, immune dysfunction may increase susceptibility to inflammatory and immune diseases in offspring and even into adulthood. GC: glucocorticoid; HPA: hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal; TH1/2: helper T 1/helper T 2.