Inhibitory Effects of Human and Bovine Milk Constituents on Rotavirus Infections

Abstract

Among etiologic agents, rotavirus is the major cause of severe dehydration diarrhea in infant mammals. In vitro and in vivo studies have indicated that the human milk-fat globule protein lactadherin inhibits rotavirus binding and protects breast-fed children against symptomatic rotavirus infection. The present work was conducted to evaluate the effect of lactadherin, along with some other milk proteins and fractions, on rotavirus infections in MA104 and Caco-2 cell lines. It is shown that human, and not bovine, lactadherin inhibits Wa rotavirus infection in vitro. Human lactadherin seems to act through a mechanism involving protein-virus interactions. The reason for the activity of human lactadherin is not clear, but it might lie within differences in the protein structure or the attached oligosaccharides. Likewise, in our hands, bovine lactoferrin did not show any suppressive activity against rotavirus. In contrast, MUC1 from bovine milk inhibits the neuraminidase-sensitive rotavirus RRV strain efficiently, whereas it has no effect on the neuraminidase-resistant Wa strain. Finally, a bovine macromolecular whey protein fraction turned out to have an efficient and versatile inhibitory activity against rotavirus.

Effect of lactoferrin on enteric pathogens

“…Multiple studies have shown that apo-lactoferrin (iron-depleted lactoferrin) and hololactoferrin (iron-saturated lactoferrin) from bovine milk suppress rotavirus attachment and replication in vitro [12][13][14]; however, not all investigators have been able to confirm an effect [15]. The effect of lactoferrin on other viral enteritis organisms has not been fully evaluated.…”

Buffalo (Bubalus bubilis) colostrum and milk fat globule membrane fractions are potent antioxidants

“…The significance of MFGM proteins has been surveyed and examined by researchers, especially their bioactivities [17,18]. Because of the functional and nutritional features of MFGM proteins, many components in mammalian milk have been examined [19,20]. The different bioactive compounds on the MFGM are still being researched, but there are a variety of beneficial compounds such as lactoferrin, IgG, secretary IgA, sialic acid, phospholipids, and gangliosides.…”

Analysis of the Sheep MUC1 Gene: Structure of the Repetitive Region and Polymorphism

“…Moreover, the complex structure of the carbohydrate side chains, heavily sialylated, suggests that it may bind a wide spectrum of pathogenic microorganisms (Liu et al, 2005). Recently, it has been demonstrated that bovine MUC1 is able to reduce infection by the neuraminidase-sensitive rotavirus RRV strain in vitro (Kvistgaard et al, 2004). The relationship between adherence of Escherichia coli and expression of MUC1 in the endometrium was studied in bitches at different stages of the estrus cycle: MUC1 gene expression markedly decreased in the canine endometrium at the early stage of diestrus, resulting in increased E. coli adherence.…”

“…The size of MUC1 may be an important factor in epithelia protection: The large size of MUC1 in human milk could explain why human MFGM is a more effective microbial inhibitor than the bovine homolog (Kvistgaard et al, 2004). In dairy species, the interest in the MUC1 VNTR-length polymorphism comes from the possible relationship between its protein variant size and the resistance to mastitis (Patton, 1999).…”