Hydrolysates of egg white proteins modulate T- and B-cell responses in mitogen-stimulated murine cells.

This work assessed the effects of hydrolysates of ovalbumin (OVA), lysozyme (LYS), ovomucoid (OM) and whole egg white (EW) on cytokine secretion, antibody production, oxidative stress and proliferation of murine spleen and mesenteric lymph node cells stimulated with T- (concanavalin A - ConA) or B-cell mitogens (lipopolysaccharide - LPS). The hydrolysates of OVA, LYS and EW with alcalase reduced ConA-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation and production of Th2-biased cytokines, such as IL-13 and IL-10, and decreased the secretion of the Th1 cytokine TNF-α. In addition, these hydrolysates considerably inhibited IgG1-class switching induced by LPS and counteracted the release of reactive oxygen species. EW peptides modulated the immune responses of murine cells to mitogen stimuli, revealing potential activities that could be used for different purposes as Th1- or Th2-skewing mediators.