Coconut Milk Modulate the Antigenicity of Alpha-Lactalbumin in Balb/C Mice

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this work was to study the biochemical characteristics of coconut milk and its antigenic effect on the Balb/c mice immunized with α-lactalbumin protein, as well as its consequences on the structure of the intestinal epithelium.Methods: To achieve the objective of the study, an electrophoresis was realised on a polyacrylamide gel to determine various proteins contained in coconut milk. In addition, Lowry's method was used to determine the amount of proteins in the formula. The antigenicity of coconut milk in sera was also studied using the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. For the histological study, 21 w-old mice Balb/c were used and distributed in three groups of 7 mice each. Group 1, received a standard feed with no treatment (Negative control), group 2 and 3 received respectively a standard feed (Positive control) and coconut milk for a period of 28 d after being immunized with α-lactalbumin.Results: Analysis of the data revealed that the rate of proteins of cow's milk is higher than that of the coconut milk (0.001 ≤ p ≤ 0.01). However, after carrying out the electrophoresis analysis, the coconut milk showed the absence of intact proteins. The anti α-Lactalbumin IgG titers significantly increased in positive control groups that received coconut milk (p<0.0001). Moreover, there was an increase of the intestinal villi height of mice fed with coconut milk, in the structure level of their intestinal epithelium compared to the negative control group. Conclusion:The findings of the study provide the evidence that coconut milk is a possible alternative to the cow's milk formula in case of allergy.