Increased serum antibody levels against cow's milk proteins in children with chronic liver disease.
We measured IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies to cow's milk proteins: alpha-casein, alpha-lactalbumin, bovine serum albumin, beta-lactoglobulin-a and beta-lactoglobulin-b in the sera of 29 pediatric patients with liver disease. IgG antibodies to bovine serum albumin, beta-lactoglobulin-a and beta-lactoglobulin-b and IgA antibodies to alpha-casein were elevated in most of the patients compared to age-matched controls. We postulate that, in patients with liver disease either increased intestinal uptake resulting in increased humoral response, or decreased hepatic clearance of food antigens intensifying a humoral response to these foreign antigens, may occur.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D002364:Caseins / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007223:Infant; D007768:Lactalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D007782:Lactoglobulins / Q000276:immunology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008894:Milk Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D000906:Antibodies; D002364:Caseins; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007782:Lactoglobulins; D008894:Milk Proteins; D007768:Lactalbumin