title: Immunomodulation of fucosyl-lactose and lacto-N-fucopentaose on mononuclear cells from multiple sclerosis and healthy subjects.
abstract: The 1,2-fucosyl-oligosaccharides, and among these the 2'-fucosyl-lactose (2'-FL) and lacto-N-fucopentaose (LNFP)-I, are quantitatively the most represented oligosaccharides of human milk. They are also seen to represent an important immune device to prevent nursing infants from severe infectious diarrhoea. Recent evidences show that the appearance of 2'-FL and LNFP-I in human colostrums is synchronised with the macrophage inhibition and that LNFP-III induces a Th2 response from the mouse peripheral immune system. Since mannosyl-fucosyl receptors are described on the macrophage surface, all these evidences allow us to investigate on the possible immune function of human 2'-FL and LNFP-I in vitro on LPS-activated mononuclear cells (MNC) from 12 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 20 matched health controls (HC). We found that 2'-FL and LNFP-I significantly decrease, to a different extent, the MNC proliferation from both HC and MS patients, in a linear and dose-dependent manner. 2'-FL and LNFP-I also reduce the production of IL-12 and IFN-γ, particularly in MS patients as compared to HC (p=0.01 and p<0.001, respectively), while increasing that of IL-10. The overall immunomodulatory effect of 2'-FL and LNFP I here presented may represent a future therapeutic option for the abnormal immune response found in some monocyte-mediated diseases.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neurology, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy;
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sotgiu
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arru
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Fois
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanna
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Musumeci
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rosati
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Musumeci
keywords: 2-fucosyl-lactose; lacto-N-fucopentaose I; mononuclear cells; multiple sclerosis