Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Sodium caseinate, a casein salt, is known to be a pro-inflammatory agent.
• It has been shown to induce granulopoiesis and cytokine production in vivo.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the biological effects of sodium caseinate on lymphoid cells.
• To determine if sodium caseinate influences the production of cytokines involved in lymphoid lineage development.

Main Methods:

• Female BALB/c mice (8-12 weeks old) were administered sodium caseinate intraperitoneally four times at 48-hour intervals.
• Flow cytometry was used to analyze B lymphocyte populations and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation.
• Interleukin-7 (IL-7) levels were measured using ELISA.

Main Results:

• Mice treated with sodium caseinate showed a significant increase in splenic B220+ lymphocytes compared to control groups (89.01±1.03 vs. 75.66±2.08).
• Bromodeoxyuridine incorporation in B220+ cells was elevated in the sodium caseinate group (38.59±4.48 vs. 11.82±1.04), suggesting enhanced B-cell proliferation.
• Serum levels of Interleukin-7 (IL-7) were significantly higher in treated mice (62.1±17.5 pg/ml vs. 26.9±4.4 pg/ml).

Conclusions:

• Sodium caseinate administration effectively increases the number of splenic B lymphocytes in mice.
• The study confirms that sodium caseinate induces the production of IL-7, a critical cytokine for B-lymphopoiesis.