Effect of bovine colostrum liposomes on the bioavailability of immunoglobulin G and their immunoregulatory function in immunosuppressed BALB/c mice†

Bovine colostrum (BC) has high nutritional value; however, the low bioavailability of immune active substances in BC may affect their immunoregulatory function. Our previous studies indicated that encapsulating bovine colostrum with liposomes could enable the sustained release of immunoglobulin G in vitro; however, the effect of bovine colostrum liposomes (BCLs) on the bioavailability of immunoglobulins in vivo is still unknown. In addition, the immunoregulatory function of BCLs on immunosuppressed mice is still unclear. Therefore, our current study aimed to explore the effect of BCLs on the bioavailability of immunoglobulins, and further explore their immunoregulatory effect on immunosuppressed BALB/c mice. Through metabolic cage experiments, it was shown that BCLs decreased the urine and fecal concentrations of IgG and exhibited a higher bioavailability of IgG in mice than BC (about 2-fold). In addition, by establishing an immunosuppressed animal model, it was found that BCLs could increase the body weight, spleen weight, and thymus weight in immunosuppressed BALB/c mice, which further restored the serum levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and interferon γ (IFN-γ). Through histology analysis, it was suggested that BCLs restored the structure of jejunal epithelial cells, which was accompanied by an improvement in intestinal cytokine levels (IL-4, IL-10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ). Finally, BCLs increased serum and intestine concentrations of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) in immunosuppressed BALB/c mice, which further indicated that BCLs had a sustained-release effect for immunoglobulin G in vivo. Our current research will provide a basis for understanding the role of BCLs on the bioavailability of IgG and their immunoregulatory effect on immunosuppressed mice, which might further provide some reference for the application of BCLs.