Immunological impact of whey protein on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with chronic liver disease

Yani G.G. Mizubuti, Maria I.T.D. Correia, Thales A. da Silva, Simone de Vasconcelos Generoso, Antônio L. Teixeira, Agnaldo S. Lima, Érica L.M. Vieira

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Recent in vitro studies point to the immune properties of milk proteins. Objective: To investigate the immunomodulating properties of whey protein isolate (WHEY) compared to those of casein (CAS) on peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) death and superna-tant cytokine levels in chronic liver disease (CLD) patients and healthy individuals. Methods: The role of WHEY on the immune cells was evaluated under-stimulated and non-stimu-lated conditions to determine cellular death and cytokine production, post-exposure with 40, 400 or 4.000 μg mL-1 of WHEY or CAS. Flow cytometry was used to identify the monocyte and lympho-cyte population. Cytokines were measured from the supernatants of 24 hour-old PBMC cultures. Results: Compared to CAS, WHEY significantly decreased lymphocyte death at 4.000 μg mL-1 in both groups of individuals with no effects on the monocyte population regardless of the group. At the same concentration (4.000 μg mL-1), WHEY increased TNF and IL-10 cytokine levels in the stimulated PBMC supernatant from CLD patients. Conclusion: Compared to CAS, WHEY exerted immunomodulating effects in CLD patients. A similar response may be anticipated for other pathological conditions in which high stress and immune dysfunction are present.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)742-752
Number of pages11
JournalCurrent Nutrition and Food Science
Volume17
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Casein
  • Cell proliferation
  • Chronic liver diseases
  • Cytokines
  • Immunomodulation
  • Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)
  • Whey protein

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Food Science
  • Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Immunological impact of whey protein on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with chronic liver disease'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this