Dietary effect of Chlorella pyrenoidosa powder on immunoglobulin productivity of Sprague-Dawley rats

It has been reported that dietary Chlorella reinforces the immune system an d protects rodents against bacteria and cancer, These effects are attribute d to the increment of helper T cell type population responsible for the cel lular immunity. In this study we examined whether dietary Chlorella pyrenoi dosa powder (CPP) influences the production of immunoglobulins (Ig) which p lay an important part in the humoral immunity. After CPP was fed to SD rats for 3 weeks, IgM concentration of the serum and IgM productivity of mesent eric lymph node (MLN) lymphocytes were dose-dependently increased. Dose-ind ependent IgG productivity of spleen and MLN lymphocytes was also enhanced. These results showed that dietary CPP reinforced IgM immunoglobulin product ion and may be useful for activation of host defenses.