Abstract
The immune system plays a pervasive role in regulating multiple aspects of human health and susceptibility to disease. As a result, identifying immune health-enhancing components of foods represents an attractive target for biodiscovery and development into protective foods. We report the development of a cellular assay for evaluating the immune-modulating potential of food components in humans, and its application to screening selected dairy proteins and peptide fractions. The assay was designed to probe the induced regulation of immune cells from healthy volunteers whose T helper type 1 (Th1) cells were stimulated into an inflamed state. Assay of the cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ) was used as a biomarker of the sample-induced change in the status of inflammation. The assay was applied to screening a selection of dairy fractions, isolated proteins and hydrolysates. The results showed that the immune-modulating properties of samples tested was highly dependent on the specific nature of the fraction and, implied that some dairy fractions could down-regulate Th1 cell driven inflammation. Further substantiation of observed antiinflammatory properties of dairy fractions is in progress.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 106-109 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Australian Journal of Dairy Technology |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue number | 2 SPEC. ISS. |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2005 |
| Externally published | Yes |
