Effect of Porcine Colostral Exosomes on T Cells in the Peripheral Blood of Suckling Piglets

Abstract

Growing evidence indicates that porcine colostral exosomes may contribute to the healthy development of piglets. Here, we evaluated in vitro the effect of porcine milk-derived exosomes, in particular colostral exosomes, on T cells in the peripheral blood of suckling piglets. A total of seven sows and thirteen suckling piglets were used. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from suckling piglets were cultured with or without milk-derived exosomes (control). Using flow cytometry, the proportion of each T cell subset in cultured PBMCs was analyzed three days post-incubation. PBMCs cultured with porcine colostral exosomes had a higher proportion of CD3+CD4−CD8+ T cells (cytotoxic T cells; Tc) than the control. However, exosomes induced no increase in the Tc cell population in PBMC whose endocytosis was inhibited. We further measured the concentrations of cytokines in the culture supernatant. Exosome-treated PBMCs had a higher cytokine IL-2 concentration than the control. The present study demonstrated that porcine colostral exosomes could increase the Tc cell proportion in the peripheral blood of suckling piglets, with the underlying mechanism believed to be the stimulation of IL-2 production in PBMCs via endocytosis. Moreover, our results suggested that porcine colostral exosomes were involved in the development of cellular immunity in suckling piglets.

Application of Milk Exosomes for Musculoskeletal Health: Talking Points in Recent Outcomes

“…A previous study demonstrated that the porcine colostrum is mainly composed of protein, carbohydrates, lipids, lesser minerals, vitamins, leukocytes, somatic cells, bacteria, and exosomes [44]. Additionally, porcine colostrum exosomes are enriched with immunerelated microRNA, whose concentration in serum was higher in newborn piglets fed colostrum than in those fed mature milk [44]. The bioactive effects of milk exosomes from various sources were investigated and summarized in more detail in the 2.4.…”