EFSA NDA Panel (EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies ), 2013. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to Yestimun ® and defence against pathogens in the upper respiratory tract pursuant to Article 13(5) of R egulation (EC) No 1924/2006

Following an application from Leiber GmbH, submitted for authorisation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Germany, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to Yestimun® and defence against pathogens in the upper respiratory tract. The food that is the subject of the health claim, Yestimun®, which consists of (1,3)-(1,6)-β-D-glucans from brewer’s yeast cell wall, is sufficiently characterised. The claimed effect, defence against pathogens in the upper respiratory tract, is a beneficial physiological effect. No human intervention studies from which conclusions could be drawn for the scientific substantiation of the claim were provided by the applicant. The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of Yestimun® ((1,3)-(1,6)-β-D-glucans from brewer’s yeast cell wall) and defence against pathogens in the upper respiratory tract

Effect of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate acid on meat performance traits and selected indicators of humoral immunity in goats

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate acid, on parameters of meat performance in goats as well as on selected parameters of non-specific humoral defense. An experiment was performed on 24 Alpine kids divided into two equal groups: I - control and II - experimental. Over a period of 60 days, the animals were fed an HMB-supplemented diet. The following meat performance parameters were determined: body weight, daily gains, growth rate, the dimensions of musculus longissimus dorsi (m.l.d.) sections and fat thickness over the loin “eye”. Selected indicators of non-specific humoral immunity were determined in the blood serum of kids: lysozyme activity, ceruloplasmin activity and gamma globulin content. It was found that the kids administered HMB had a significantly higher body weight on days 30 and 60 of the experiment compared to the control group. The kids in this group also had a significantly more favorable musculature development. Simultaneously, a significant impact of HMB on the examined immunological indices was found. The significance of differences in relation to the control group was confirmed statistically for lysozyme activity and ceruloplasmin activity on days 30 and 60, while the content of gammaglobulins was confirmed statistically on days 15, 30 and 60 of the study. It was also found that the addition of HMB had a stimulating impact on immunity and growth rate as well as on the development of muscles. It is thus justified to administer HMB to earlyweaned kids to enhance their rearing parameters

The in vitro effect of commercially available noble metal nanocolloids on the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) leukocyte and splenocyte activity

The growing popularity of nanotechnology in the past decade has increased nanomaterial concentrations in the environment and the risk of their toxicity for aquatic organisms. Metal nanoparticles, which are easily absorbed and accumulated by fish, are probably able to interact directly with their immunocompetent cells. The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro effect of commercially available silver, gold and copper nanocolloids on the rainbow trout leukocyte and splenocyte activity. At high concentrations, all of the nanocolloids studied had adverse effects on the proliferative response of trout lymphocytes, and the most toxic of them, silver, decreased also the respiratory burst activity of splenocytes. Low concentrations of silver nanocolloid, however, had a stimulating effect on the lymhocyte proliferation

The splenocyte proliferative response and cytokine secretion in mice after 28-day oral administration of silver nanocolloid

An increasing number of applications of silver nanoparticles in industry, medicine and everyday life means that the risk of exposure of the human organism to their potential harmful influence is growing. This study has sought to assess the effect of 28-day alimentary administration of different concentrations (0.25, 2.5 and 25 ppm) of a commercial silver nanocolloid on the proliferative activity and synthesis of cytokines by mouse splenocytes. All of the analyzed doses of the colloid had a significant, albeit different, effect on the activity of splenocytes. At the lowest dose, a significant decrease in the proliferation of T cells and more intensive synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines, both by non-stimulated and LPS-stimulated cells, was observed. The intermediate dose, on the other hand, stimulated proliferation of B cells while producing a pro-inflammatory effect regarding the synthesis of cytokines. Finally, the highest dose decreased the synthesis of cytokines by non-stimulated cells, but after LPS stimulation, through the strong activation of the IL-10 synthesis, it raised the proliferation of B cells and decreased the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The results suggest that silver nanoparticles administered orally have an easy access to the peripheral organs of the immune system, such as the spleen, but the effect of long-term exposure of this organ to the effect of silver nanocolloid depends on several factors, including the dose of nanoparticles, and seems as difficult to predict

Antiviral Effect of Bovine Lactoferrin against Enterovirus E

Enterovirus E (EV-E), a representative of the Picornaviridae family, endemically affects cattle across the world, typically causing subclinical infections. However, under favorable conditions, severe or fatal disorders of the respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems may develop. There is no specific treatment for enterovirus infections in humans or animals, and only symptomatic treatment is available. The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro antiviral effect of bovine lactoferrin (bLF) against enterovirus E using virucidal, cytopathic effect inhibition, and viral yield reduction assays in MDBK cells. The influence of lactoferrin on the intracellular viral RNA level was also determined. Surprisingly, lactoferrin did not have a protective effect on cells, although it inhibited the replication of the virus during the adsorption and post-adsorption stages (viral titres reduced by 1–1.1 log). Additionally, a decrease in the viral RNA level in cells (by up to 75%) was observed. More detailed studies are needed to determine the mechanism of bovine lactoferrin effect on enterovirus E. However, this highly biocompatible protein ensures some degree of protection against infection by bovine enterovirus, which is particularly important for young animals that receive this protein in their mother’s milk