Dietary spray-dried animal plasma alleviates mucosal inflammation in experimental models

Abstract

The intestinal and bronchoalveolar mucosae contribute to homeostasis by preventing the entrance of biological and chemical agents that could alter the stability of the system. In this review, we summarise the main effects of dietary supplementation with spray-dried plasma (SDP), a complex mixture of biologically active functional components, on two models of acute inflammation; a murine model of intestinal inflammation, based on the administration of S. aureus enterotoxin B (SEB), and a model of acute lung inflammation, using mice challenged with lipopolysaccharide from E. coli (LPS). Oral SDP modulates the immune response of the intestinal mucosa and restores the barrier function of the epithelium, preventing most of the effects of SEB on defensin expression, tight-junction permeability and mucosal cytokine production. In the lung, SDP supplementation partially prevents the LPS-induced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, an effect that involves the participation of the common mucosal immune system. In both models, the effects of SDP are mediated by an increased T-reg response and enhanced release of anti-inflammatory cytokines that contribute to mucosal homeostasis.