HUMAN COLOSTRUM HAS ANTIINFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY IN A RAT SUBCUTANEOUS AIR POUCH MODEL OF INFLAMMATION

An animal model was used to examine the effect of human colostrum on a n acute inflammatory process in vivo. Subcutaneous air pouches on the backs of outbred rats were injected with carrageenan as an inflammator y challenge, normal saline, pooled aqueous human colostrum, or carrage enan plus colostrum concurrently. Oral dexamethasone or indomethacin w as administered to some animals before and during challenge as anti-in flammatory agents. Polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) counts in pouch f luid were determined 6 h postchallenge. Carrageenan challenge resulted in a significant acute inflammatory response [48.8 +/- 4.9 x 10(6) PM N/pouch (mean +/- SEM, n = 46)] compared with normal saline controls [ 0.9 +/- 0.2 x 10(6) (n = 31, p < 0.001 versus carrageenan)] or with co lostrum [4.3 +/- 0.8 x 10(6) PMN/pouch (n = 11, p < 0.001 versus carra geenan)]. The concurrent injection of colostrum plus carrageenan chall enge significantly reduced the PMN response compared with carrageenan alone [18.8 +/- 2.9 versus 48.8 +/- 4.9 x 10(6) PMN/pouch (carrageenan plus colostrum versus carrageenan, n = 41 versus 46, p < 0.001)]. Thi s degree of suppression of PMN influx was not significantly different from that seen with indomethacin treatment but was significantly more than that seen with dexamethasone treatment. The decreases in PMN coun ts observed most likely reflect suppression of the acute inflammatory response because a significant amount of PMN lysis in colostrum was no t observed in vitro and the accumulation of PMN granule contents was n ot seen in pouch fluid from colostrum-treated animals in vivo. These d ata directly demonstrate for the first time that human colostrum has a biologically significant effect on the inflammatory process in vivo.