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

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.