Chicken egg yolk antibodies (IgY) modulate the intestinal mucosal immune response in a mouse model of Salmonella typhimurium infection

Li, Xiaoyu; Yao, Ying; Wang, Xitao; Zhen, Yuhong; Thacker, Philip A.; Wang, Lili; Shi, Ming; Zhao, Junjun; Zong, Ying; Wang, Ni; Xu, Yongping

This study determined the effects of chicken egg yolk antibodies (IgY) on immune responses in the intestinal mucosal of mice infected with Salmonella typhimurium. Sixty, 28-day-old mice were divided into 4 groups and treated with streptomycin or sterile water for 2 days followed by 1 day without treatment. The control group was unchallenged whereas the mice in the other three groups were treated twice with 10(9) CFU mL(− 1)S. typhimurium. For the next 3 days, control mice continued to receive no treatment whereas the mice in the remaining three groups were orally administered with 20 mg mL(− 1) of specific IgY, 20 mg mL(− 1) of nonspecific IgY or PBS. S. typhimurium activated gut-associated lymphoid tissue, increasing the release of IFN-γ and TNF-α in the mucosa and increased the number of activated T-lymphocytes and cytotoxic T-γδ. Specific IgY attenuated the increase in IFN-γ and TNF-α and the decrease in IL-10. S. typhimurium induced mobilization of CD8(+) and CD8(+) TCRγδ T cells in the epithelium and CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the lamina propria reflecting an inflammatory process that was attenuated by IgY. These results suggest that specific IgY modulates intestinal mucosal immune responses during a S. typhimurium infection.