“…6,7 Among the milk proteins, whey protein β-lactoglobulin (β-LG), 1 of the major allergens of cow's milk, 8 has been observed specifically to stimulate the proliferation of ex vivo cultured human cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs), [9][10][11][12][13][14][15] PBMCs, [15][16][17][18][19][20] lamina propria lymphocytes, 19 and Peyer's patches mononuclear cells, 21 as well as to induce specific proliferation and IgM production in murine immune cells. 5 In addition, cytokine production was observed in human CBMCs (IFN-γ 10 and IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, and IFN-γ 20 ), PBMCs (TNF-α; IL-10 19 ; and IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13 20 ; as well as IFN-γ 20,22 ), lamina propria T cells (IL-2, TNF-α, IL-10, and IFN-γ 19 ), and Peyer's patches (IFN-γ 21 ) after ex vivo exposure to commercial preparations of purified β-LG.…”