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Updated: Aug 3, 2025
Evaluation of Host-Pathogen Responses and Vaccine Efficacy in Mice
Published on: February 22, 2019
Dietary supplementation with spray-dried animal plasma improves vaccine protection in aged mice
Lluïsa Miró1, Cristina Rosell-Cardona1, Concepció Amat1
1Departament de Bioquímica i Fisiologia, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació and Institut de Recerca en Nutrició i Seguretat Alimentària (INSA-UB), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain.
Background:
Senescence is characterized by an aggravated inflammatory state that reduces vaccine responsiveness. Dietary supplementation with spray-dried porcine plasma (SDP) exerts anti-inflammatory effects in different mucosal areas. We aimed to determine if the anti-inflammatory properties of SDP improve the efficiency of immunization in senescent animals.
Methods:
Experiments were performed in 2-month-old and 6-month-old male SAMP8 mice fed control or SDP (8%) feeds for 4 months. The mice received nasal doses of 2.5 μg of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B (SEB) or vehicle every 15 days (i.e., 3 times). Fifteen days after the last dose, a lethal shock was induced by intraperitoneal administration of SEB and LPS.
Results:
Immunization increased anti-SEB IgA in intestinal and bronchoalveolar fluid (p < 0.05). After the lethal shock, all immunized aged mice that were supplemented with SDP survived, in contrast to only 66% of those fed the control feed (p < 0.05). Moreover, after the lethal challenge, aged mice showed higher expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (Il-6, Tnf-α, Ifn-γ, and Il-1β) in jejunal and (Tnf-α, and Il-1β) in lung tissues (p < 0.05), which were reduced by SDP supplementation (p < 0.05). Furthermore, in senescent mice, SDP supplementation augmented Il-4 and Il-10 expression in both tissues (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
SDP reduces the mucosal inflammation associated with aging, improving vaccine protection in senescent mice.
