ABSTRACT
Edible bird's nest (EBN) is regarded as an immune-enhancing food in the People's Republic of China. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the efficiency of EBN in improving the immunity of mouse both in vivo and in vitro. We observed the effects of EBN on spleen lymphocytes proliferation and activation, as well as immunoglobulin isotypes as indicators. In addition, we evaluated the content of total sIgA in the intestinal juice to assess mucosal immunity. The results showed that EBN could promote the proliferation and activation of B-cells and increase IgE, IgA, IgM, and IgG3 levels. We also found that EBN extract can promote the secretion of sIgA in the small intestine. Using cyclophosphamide (CY), we established an immunosuppressed mouse model in which we identified a reversal influence on the ratio of CD3(+)/CD19(+) cells, which indicates that EBN also protects B-cells from the damage induced by CY. We also applied polymyxin B to exclude the interference of lipopolysaccharide throughout the experiment. In conclusion, we found that EBN can reduce the intestinal immune injury induced by CY by accelerating the proliferation and activation of B-cells and enhancing antibody secretion of B-cells.