Oligosaccharide equine feed supplement, Immulix, has minor impact on vaccine responses in mice

Abstract

Several mammalian species are vaccinated in early life, but little is known about the effect of diet on vaccine response. Oligosaccharides are increasingly proposed as dietary supplement for young individuals due to their anti-inflammatory potential elicited through modulation of gut microbiota (GM). Also, diet, e.g. the size of the fat fraction, is known to modulate the GM. We tested if an oligosaccharide diet (Immulix) and/or increased dietary fat content affected antibody titers to a tetanus vaccine in 48 BALB/cJTac mice through GM modulation. Female mice had significantly higher IgG titers with higher variation compared to male mice. The effects of Immulix and/or increased fat content were minor. Immulix negatively affected IgG titers in male mice four weeks after secondary vaccination but upregulated Il1b gene expression in the spleen. Immulix had a downregulating effect on expression of Cd4 and Foxp3 in ileum only if the mice were fed the diet with increased fat. The diet with increased dietary fat increased Il1b but decreased Cd8a gene expression in the spleen. Immulix and diet affected GM composition significantly. Increased dietary fat content upregulated Lactobacillus animalis but downregulated an unclassified Prevotella spp. Immulix decreased Lactobacillales, Streptococcaceae and Prevotellaceae but increased Bacteroides. It is concluded that in spite of some minor influences on immune cell markers, cytokines and IgG titers Immulix feeding or increased dietary fat content did not have any biologically relevant effects on tetanus vaccine responses in this experiment in mice.

Effect of gluten-free diet and antibiotics on murine gut microbiota and immune response to tetanus vaccination

“…This may very well explain the huge inter-individual variation in the antibody response of the gluten-free fed mice. Feeding oligosaccharides, which are used to promote anti-inflammatory bacteria, also negatively affected IgG titers to a tetanus toxoid vaccine in male mice [ 55 ]. We observed a correlation with anti-tetanus IgG in study B, i.e.…”

Factors Influencing Microbiota in Modulating Vaccine Immune Response: A Long Way to Go

“…In another study, a diet based on oligosaccharides also resulted in a reduced IgG response in a similar setting [133], following its capability to increase the expression of well-known anti-inflammatory microbial strains, including Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, and Akkermansia [134][135][136].…”