title: Effects of purified soybean agglutinin on growth and immune function in rats.
abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of purified soybean agglutinin on growth and immune function in rats. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats (77.8 +/- 2.6 g) were individually fed casein-cornstarch based diets containing 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 or 0.20% soybean agglutinin (w/w) during a 20-day experiment. Growth declined linearly with increasing the concentration of soybean agglutinin (p < 0.05). The proliferation of lymphocytes in spleen, lymph nodes and blood decreased with an increase in dietary soybean agglutinin (p < 0.05). The concentrations of interleukin-2, interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in plasma, spleen, and mesenteric lymph nodes as well as plasma concentrations of IgA, IgG and IgM also declined with increasing dose of soybean agglutinin (p < 0.05). The results show that dietary soybean agglutinin has negative effects on growth as well as both cell-mediated and humoral immune function of rats and appears to function in a dose-dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: National Key Lab of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing.
authors.forename: Shusheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Defa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shiyan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.forename: Xiangshu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Piao
authors.forename: Jianjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zang
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects*; D018655:Lymphocyte Count / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D009753:Nutritive Value; D037121:Plant Lectins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*; D030262:Soybean Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D037121:Plant Lectins; D030262:Soybean Proteins; C028824:soybean lectin; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins