Either of two immunostimulating factors (lpr, lipopolysaccharide) enhanced the pathogenic autoimmune responses of MRL/n mice, but the serologic and immunopathologic characteristics differed. In contrast, either factor acting alone, caused minimal immunopathology in normal mice, despite autoantibody induction. Combined immunostimulation, however, caused fatal glomerulonephritis in normal-backgro...

Oyster extracts have been reported to have many bioactive peptides. But the function of oyster peptides produced by proteolysis is still unknown. In this study, the oligopeptide-enriched hydrolysates from oyster (Crassostrea gigas) were produced using the protease from Bacillus sp. SM98011 at laboratory level, and scaled up to pilot (100 L) and plant (1,000 L) levels with the same conditions. A...

The prophylactic application of inactivated parapox ovis viruses (Baypamun; Bayer AG, Leverkusen, Germany) has been shown to reduce efficiently the outbreak of stress-mediated diseases in different species. However, little is known about the basic mechanism behind this observed stimulatory property. We therefore tested eight inactivated poxvirus strains belonging to three different genera (Orth...

As malfunction/absence of immune cells causes a variety of immunosuppressive disorders and chemical synthetic drugs for curing these diseases have many adverse effects, vigorous studies are being conducted. The Acanthopanax family has been used as traditional medicines for gastric ulcer, diabetes, etc. and culinary materials in East-South Asia. In this study, the immunostimulating properties of...

Saponins are used in medicine due to their pharmacological and immunological effects. To better understand interactions of saponins with model membranes and natural membranes of, for example, erythrocytes, Langmuir film balance experiments are well established. For most saponins, a strong interaction with cholesterol was demonstrated in dependence of both the aglycone part and the sugar moietie...

In the recent years immunotherapy has gained important role in cancer management. Immunostimulating effects of thymus-derived peptides on carcinogenesis have been actively studied in both animals and humans. Gc protein derived macrophage-activating factor (GcMAF) was found to have potent effect on macrophage phagocytic activity. Immunostimulating effects of GcMAF and peptides of thymus can be e...

With increasing amounts of data showing significant immunostimulating effects of glucan, it is not surprising that attention is also focused on commercially farmed animals. Despite marked progress, development of more efficient uses of glucan in pig farming still needs substantial additional research.