Immune enhancement activities of silk lutein extract from Bombyx mori cocoons

BACKGROUND: Declining immune function poses an important clinical challenge worldwide and supplementation with natural products that possessing immune enhancing properties is a promising approach for preventing or delaying immune function decline. Cocoons from yellow silkworms are a significant source of lutein, and this unexplored silk extract could be a viable alternative source for dietary lutein. This study assessed immunomodulatory activities of the silk lutein extract. Female BALB/c mice orally received lutein, either as silk or marigold extracts (10 or 20 mg/kg daily), or vehicle only (1% tween 80 in PBS pH 7.4) for 4 weeks. Natural killer (NK) cell activity, specific antibody production, lymphocyte subpopulations, mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation, and cytokine production were examined. RESULTS: Silk lutein extract increased NK cell activity, and the effect was dose-related whereas marigold lutein extract was ineffective. Silk lutein extract dose-dependently enhanced antibody production in pre-immunized mice but marigold lutein extract had no effect. Feeding with silk lutein extract increased the populations of CD3+ and CD4 + CD3 + cells. Silk lutein extract also stimulated concanavalin A- and lipopolysaccharide-induced proliferations of T and B lymphocytes, respectively. Moreover, silk lutein extract increased IL-2 and IFN-γ production while the effect of marigold lutein extract was undetectable. CONCLUSIONS: Together, silk lutein extract enhanced both innate and adaptive immune functions. This preparation may prove to be an effective supplement for strengthened immunity.

Immunoblot analysis and comparative IgE responses of atopic patients to extracts of the domestic mite Blomia tropicalis

BACKGROUND: The domestic mite Blomia tropicalis is found in subtropical and tropical environments, and its clinical importance as a sensitizing agent in allergic disease is widely accepted. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the IgE reactivity to allergens present in extracts of the domestic mite B. tropicalis, and compare the IgE responses to these allergens by asthmatics, patients with atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis, as well as nonatopic controls. METHODS: Extracts from B. tropicalis were used for skin tests. The B. tropicalis specific IgE in the serum were measured using the FAST Plus Test and immunoblot analysis. RESULTS: A total of 199 volunteers participated in the study. The data show that 18 out of 29 polypeptide bands present in extracts of this mite species were recognized by the allergic and control sera. Of these allergens, four showed a high IgE binding frequency and had relative molecular weights of 104, 80, 68 and 14 kDa. The 14 kDa allergen demonstrated the highest IgE binding frequency. CONCLUSION: Sera from atopic patients reacted to more allergens than sera from patients controls. Extracts from pure bodies of B. tropicalis contain one immunodominant and three important allergens. A common characteristic between all of the sera tested was the high degree of serum IgE reactivity observed to the 14 kDa allergen.

Respuesta inmune en conejos a extractos de tejidos tumoral de colón humano / Immune response in rabbits to tumoral tissue extracts of human colon

Se aisló y purificó antígeno carcinoembriónico (CEA) a partir de tumores de colon humano; se obtuvieron antisueros al extracto perclórico de glicoproteínas de colon normal y de colon tumoral, y al CEA puro en conejos. Se comprobó por electroforesis en gel de poliacrilamida que, al inmunizar en forma prolongada con el extracto tumoral, hubo aumento de proteínas de movilidad alfa2. Los antisueros obtenidos rinden por imnunodifusión bajos títulos al enfrentarlos a los distintos antígenos examinados. En general se obtienen los mayores títulos con la fracción obtenida por focalización isoeléctrica del extracto perclórico de glico proteínas de colon tumoral, y este fenómeno se repite al titular los antisueros por radioinmunoensayo (RIE). Al efectuar el análisis estadístico de los resultados obtenidos al medir la concentración de CEA en muestras de sueros de pacientes, no se obtuvieron diferencias significativas al usar sueros provenientes de distintas sangrías. Se concluye que para cubrir un amplio rango de concentraciones en la medición de CEA por RIE es suficiente purificar al antígeno que se usará, como "standard" y trazador hasta la etapa de focalización, y utilizar de anti-sueros obtenidos de animales inyectados con extracto perclórico de glicoproteínas de colon tumoral con esquemas de inmunización largos o con CEA puro con un esquema corto