Lactobacillus johnsonii JERA01-supplemented feed additive (Lj-A) was produced by fermenting dried porcine blood with Lactobacillus johnsonii (Lj). Lj-A has highly digestible nutrients, bioactive peptides, and probiotic effects. To assess the immunomodulatory potential of Lj-A, it was tested on splenocytes of C57BL/6 mouse. Lj-A was treated on splenocytes in a range of concentration, 0-100 μg/ml. The metabolic activity of splenocytes was enhanced by Lj-A, as shown in MTT assay. Also, some splenocyte clusters were observed under a bright-field microscope on the wells treated with Lj-A. The splenocyte clusters indicated that the cells were activated and proliferating in response to Lj-A. These findings suggest that Lj-A stimulates splenocytes to promote immune cell activation, as evidenced by increased tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-12 production, thereby enhancing immunological defense functions. In vitro treatment of splenocytes with Lj-A increased the proportions of T cells, B cells, and CD25+ cells. In vivo, immune cell activity was evaluated in C57BL/6 mice orally administered with Lj-A at a dose of 100 mg/day. The proportion of dendritic cells in peritoneal cells was increased along with elevated CD54+ expression. Additionally, the proportions of B cells, CD25+ cells in Peyer’s patch cells increased as well. These results suggest that Lj-A may contribute to the enhancement of immune function and the maintenance of long-term health in animals.

Biosilica is a material extracted from the shell (cell wall) of Melosira nummuloides, a type of sea diatom, and is one of the widely distributed biominerals. Recently, some studies have revealed that biosilica has a characteristic bio-modulatory activity compared to synthetic silica. However, there has been little research on the effects and action mechanisms of biosilica in immune cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of biosilica water on mouse dendritic cells (DCs), the most potent antigen-presenting cells in immunity, and whether it may alter the function of DCs. Biosilica water decreased the metabolic activity of DCs at 20% concentration (v/v) and the production of IL-1 beta in a concentration-dependent manner. And also, more cells with fragmented nuclei were observed in the DCs treated with 20% biosilica water compared to other treatment groups. The mixed leukocyte response experiment showed the biosilica water-treated DCs significantly modulated the metabolic activity and proliferation of allogeneic spleen cells compared to control DCs. This result suggests that biosilica water may modulate the antigen-presenting capability of DCs. Taken together, this study shows the immunomodulatory activity of biosilica on DCs and may affect immune responses. Further research is needed to investigate the immunological activity of biosilica water.

Porphyromonas (P.) gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (Pg LPS) is the major pathogenic component of periodontal disease. In this study, we have attempted to determine the expression profiles of the signal transduction pathway genes induced by Pg LPS in comparison with Escherichia (E.) coli LPS (Ec LPS). DC2.4 cells were treated for two hours with 1 μg/mℓ of Pg LPS or 0.5μg/mℓ of Ec LPS. The total RNA from these cells was then isolated and reverse-transcribed. Gene expression profiles were then analyzed with a signal transduction pathway finder GEArray Q series kit and significant changes in expression were confirmed by real-time PCR. The microarray results indicated that several genes, including Tnfrsf10b, Vcam1, Scyb9, Trim25, Klk6, and Stra6 were upregulated in the DC2.4 cells in response to Pg LPS treatment, but were downregulated or unaffected by Ec LPS. Realtime PCR revealed that the expression of Trim25, Scyb9 and Tnfrsf10b was increased over the untreated control. Notably, Trim25 and Tnfrsf10b were more strongly induced by Pg LPS than by Ec LPS. These results provide greater insight into the signal transduction pathways that are altered by P. gingivalis LPS.