Bovine colostrum is a health food supplement which prevents NSAID induced gut damage

Abstract

Background-Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are eVective for arthritis but cause gastrointestinal injury. Bovine colostrum is a rich source of growth factors and is marketed as a health food supplement. Aims-To examine whether spray dried, defatted colostrum or milk preparations could reduce gastrointestinal injury caused by indomethacin. Methods-EVects of test solutions, administered orally, were examined using an indomethacin restraint rat model of gastric damage and an indomethacin mouse model of small intestinal injury. EVects on migration of the human colonic carcinoma cell line HT-29 and rat small intestinal cell line RIE-1 were assessed using a wounded monolayer assay system (used as an in vitro model of wound repair) and eVects on proliferation determined using [ H]thymidine incorporation.Results-Pretreatment with 0.5 or 1 ml colostral preparation reduced gastric injury by 30% and 60% respectively in rats. A milk preparation was much less eYcacious. Recombinant transforming growth factor added at a dose similar to that found in the colostrum preparation (12.5 ng/rat), reduced injury by about 60%. Addition of colostrum to drinking water (10% vol/vol) prevented villus shortening in the mouse model of small intestinal injury. Addition of milk preparation was ineVective. Colostrum increased proliferation and cell migration of RIE-1 and HT-29 cells. These eVects were mainly due to constituents of the colostrum with molecular weights greater than 30 kDa. Conclusions-Bovine colostrum could provide a novel, inexpensive approach for the prevention and treatment of the injurious eVects of NSAIDs on the gut and may also be of value for the treatment of other ulcerative conditions of the bowel. (Gut 1999;44:653-658)

Effects of a bovine colostrum-supplemented diet on some gut parameters in weaned piglets

“…Adding colostrum in the starter diet of weaned piglets resulted in numerically higher SI relative weight and duodenal villous height, indicating that colostrum may stimulate mucosa growth as it has already been demonstrated in rodents [3]. Authors have also described a colostrum-induced enhancement of cell proliferation and migration using in vitro human colonic carcinoma cells and rat SI epithelial cell models of wound repair [3]. Our results in vivo did not confirm these latter observations since any significant variation in crypt cell proliferation and migration was explained by the colostrum treatment.…”

“…Therefore suckling piglets were compared with weaned piglets fed a colostrum-supplemented diet in order to evaluate colostrum-induced improvement of weaning transition from digestive physiological aspects. Adding colostrum in the starter diet of weaned piglets resulted in numerically higher SI relative weight and duodenal villous height, indicating that colostrum may stimulate mucosa growth as it has already been demonstrated in rodents [3]. Authors have also described a colostrum-induced enhancement of cell proliferation and migration using in vitro human colonic carcinoma cells and rat SI epithelial cell models of wound repair [3].…”

“…These beneficial effects could be explained by both an observed increase in feed intake level as early as the first days after weaning [1] and a likely direct effect on gut health. Giving bovine colostrum orally prevents chemically-induced villous atrophy in mice [3] and stimulates mucosal healing of patients suffering from inflammatory gut disease [4]. It reduces diarrhoeal symptoms in infants [5] and protects intestinal mucosa from pathogen bacteria adhesion [6].…”

Similar efficacy of human banked milk and bovine colostrum to decrease incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm piglets

“…BC has been shown to prevent induced villous atrophy in mice (31) and stimulate mucosal healing in patients suffering from inflammatory gut diseases (17). BC also protects the intestinal mucosa from bacterial adhesion (29) and reduces diarrhea in infants (35).…”

“…It has recently been shown that BC inhibits nuclear factor-B-mediated proinflammatory cytokine expression in intestinal epithelial cells (1), which may be clinically relevant as nuclear factor-B has a pivotal role in the development of NEC (7). BC is a commercially available coproduct of the dairy industry, and current farming methods allow for production of large volumes of BC for clinical use (13,31).…”