Bovine Colostrum Modulates Cytokine Production in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Stimulated with Lipopolysaccharide and Phytohemagglutinin

Abstract

Bovine colostrum has been shown to influence the cytokine production of bovine leukocytes. However it remains unknown if processed bovine colostrum, a supplement popular among athletes to enhance immune function, is able to modulate cytokine secretion of human leukocytes. PURPOSE: The aim of this investigation was to determine the influence of a commercially available bovine colostrum protein concentrate (CPC) on the production of cytokines by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), with and without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation. Method: Blood was sampled from four healthy, male endurance athletes who had abstained from exercise for 48 hours. PBMC were separated and cultured with bovine CPC concentrations of 0 (control), 1.25, 2.5 and 5% with and without LPS (3μg·mL-l) and PHA (2.5μg·mL-l). Cell supernatants were collected at 6 and 24 hours of culture for the determination of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-10, IL-6, IL-4 and IL-2 concentrations. RESULTS: Following 6 hours of PBMC incubation at 37°C with 5% CO2, IFN-γ IL-10 and IL-2 secretion were increased with increasing concentrations of bovine CPC (P=0.011, 0.029 and 0.011, respectively). In a dose dependent manner, IFN-γ and IL-2 remained elevated following 24 hours of incubation (P=0.017 and 0.011, respectively). The addition of increasing bovine CPC concentrations to PBMC co-cultured with LPS reduced the secretion of TNF, IL-6 and IL-4 at 6 hours (P=0.011, 0.017 and 0.007, respectively), while increasing the secretion of IL-2 at 24 hours (P=0.014). The addition of bovine CPC to PBMC co-cultured with PHA increased IL-10 and IL-2 concentrations at 6 hours (P=0.0.38 and 0.044, respectively) and inhibited TNF and IFN-? production at 24 hours (P=0.044 and 0.039, respectively). CONCLUSION: The present data show that bovine CPC modulates in vitro cytokine production of human PBMC.