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Nitric oxide and cytokine release induced by goat milk: nutraceutical application to human immune response modulation
Author(s) -
Jirillo Emilio,
Cianciulli Antonia,
Jirillo Felicita,
D'Alessandro Angela Gabriella,
Magrone Thea,
Martemucci Giovanni,
Panaro Maria Antonietta
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.571.1
Subject(s) - immune system , cytokine , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , nitric oxide , immunology , interleukin 10 , in vitro , chemistry , biology , endocrinology , biochemistry
Goat milk has been used in the diet as an alternative to bovine milk, but little is known about its properties on the immune system. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of three different types of goat milks on the in vitro responses by normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). We used commercial goat milk (Amalattea) and goat milks from two different Apulia locations in Italy (Jonica and Saanen). PBMC were stimulated for 24 hrs with milk alone or in presence of Escherichia coli LPS to evaluate the nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine release. Results demonstrated that goat milks‐treated PBMC exhibited greater NO levels when compared to untreated cells. NO levels resulted significantly higher vs samples treated with LPS alone. The commercial milk was able to induce higher amounts of NO in comparison to the other two. As far as cytokine response is concerned, Th1 response was not observed since IFN‐gamma and IL‐2 were secreted in negligible amounts. Release of IL‐4, IL‐13 and IL‐5 indicates a polarization of immune response toward the Th2 type. Production of IL‐10 and TGF‐beta justified inhibition of Th1 response and low production of TNF‐alpha. IL‐17a and IL‐6 were not released at all, whereas G‐CSF generation supports the concept of a robust inflammatory response elicited by all milks. Overall, these results demonstrate that goat milks may exert immunostimulating activities suggesting their therapeutic potential in the prevention of chronic disease. Work supported by a grant of "INTERREG III/A ‐ Greece‐Italy".