Natural antibodies to pathogenic bacteria and their toxins in whey protein concentrate
2009
Kijima, Y.(Asama Chemical Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)) | Iwatsuki, S. | Akamatsu, H. | Terato, K. | Kuwabara, Y. | Ueda, S. | Shionoya, H.
Whey protein concentrate (WPC) is a byproduct of cheese and casein during the dairying process. It is currently used as a food additive or nutritional supplement. To determine a more beneficial use of WPC, we focused on the antibodies against potential pathogenic bacteria and their toxins contained in WPC. The immunoglobulin content of WPC products varied from 0 to 5.2%. Antibody specificity was analyzed for 33 species of heat-killed pathogenic bacteria and 5 types of bacterial toxins. Specific antibodies to the respective antigens were found, suggesting that antibodies to other bacteria and toxins that were not used in this study might also exist in WPC. Moreover, absorption experiments showed that WPC contained cross-reactive antibodies to other bacteria. Based on these findings, whey antibodies may possess a potential therapeutic usage for treatment of patients with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, in which bacterial toxins and an abnormal balance of intestinal bacterial flora are major fundamental factors.
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