Immunomodulatory effects of ovine serum immunoglobulin in the growing rat

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether orally administered ovine serum immunoglobulin (Ig) modulates aspects of immunity such as phagocytosis, lymphocyte proliferation, cytokine production, intestinal and plasma Ig concentrations in growing rats. Forty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats (n 5 15/group) were used in the 21-day study, and fed a basal control diet (BD; no Ig) or two test diets: freeze-dried ovine Ig (FDOI) and inactivated ovine Ig (IOI). Phagocytic activity of peripheral blood leukocytes and lymphocyte proliferation in the presence of the mitogen concanavalin A (ConA) was greater ( P , 0.05) for the FDOI-fed rats than for the BD-and IOI-fed groups. ConA-stimulated and unstimulated spleen cell culture produced higher ( P , 0.05) interferon-g and interleukin-4, respectively, from rats fed the FDOI than rats fed the BD diet. In the jejunum, ileum and plasma, rats fed FDOI produced higher ( P , 0.05) concentrations of secretory IgA (sIgA) than rats fed IOI or BD. Rats fed the FDOI diet had greater jejunal ( P 5 0.037) and lower plasma ( P 5 0.025) rat IgG concentrations than rats fed either BD or IOI. In conclusion, an ovine Ig fraction selectively modulated various indices of immune function.

Orally administered ovine serum immunoglobulins modulate the intestinal levels of Lactobacillus and enterobacteria in the growing rat1

“…They also concluded that among 3 bacterial groups {Lactobacillus, bifidobacteria, and Streptococcus) contained in probiotic formula, Lactobacillus strains were the strongest potentiator of mucin secretion. This is similar to our previous observations where we found greater immunomodulation and mucin gene expression in the ileum and mucin protein content in the stomach, ileal, and colonie digesta of rats fed the ovine Ig diet (Balan et al, 2010(Balan et al, , 2011a(Balan et al, ,b,c, 2013Balan, 2011).…”

“…Another possible mechanism of enhanced intestinal ninction may be through supporting elevated numbers of laetic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus sp. and L. johnsonii), whieh inñuence the immunify and gut mucin content (Balan et al, 2010(Balan et al, , 2011aBalan, 2011;. The inereased eolonization of laetobacilli in the gut may prevent eolonization by pathogenie bacteria, such as certain enterobaeteria, in 4 ways: first, by reducing the intestinal pH by produeing various organie aeids, sueh as laetic acid, which may inhibit the growth of S. enteritidis by bacterioeidal action (Bovee-Oudenhoven et al, 1997); second, by producing antimicrobial substances such as bateriocins (Muriana and Klaenhammer, 1991); third, by competitive exclusion of pathogens from the gastrointestinal tract epithelial cell contact sites (Jankowska et al, 2008); and fourth, by augmentation of the immune system by laetobacilli immunostimulation, such that this may confer enhanced immune-mediated proteetion against pathogens (Gill, 2003).…”

“…The ovine serum immunoglobulin also modulated immunological activity (Balan et al, 2010; and enhanced the transcription and translation levels of mucin in the gastrointestinal tract (Balan, 2011;Balan et al, 2011c). In this study, we used PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) to ascertain whether short-term (21 d) oral administration of ovine semm immunoglobulin modulates the gut microbial population in the growing rat.…”

Ovine Serum Immunoglobulin Has Immunomodulatory Effects in Growing Rats Gavaged with Salmonella enteritidis1

“…This has also been shown to be the case in Salmonellagavaged growing rats (P. Balan, unpublished data). We have also found that feeding FDOI to growing rats led to a higher degree of immunological activity (phagocytic activity, lymphocyte proliferation, cytokine production) and intestinal and plasma Ig levels (13). This may have been associated with an observed selective upregulation of probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus sp.…”

Dietary supplementation with ovine serum immunoglobulin is associated with an increased gut luminal mucin concentration in the growing rat

“…Recently, we have reported that feeding a freeze-dried ovine serum Ig preparation selectively improves growth performance, the weight of some digestive organs and gut morphology in the growing rat (Balan et al, 2009). Dietary Ig preserved a higher degree of immunological activity and selectively altered the composition of the gut microbiota (upregulation of Lactobacillus species) in normal and in Salmonella enteritidis challenged growing rats (Balan et al, 2010(Balan et al, , 2011a(Balan et al, and 2011b. There are no reports in the literature, however, regarding the effects of ovine Ig on gut mucins in animals.…”