Abstract
This study was planned to clarify the influence of dietary fibers as food additives on in vivo antibody production in mice with or without antigen stimuli. The results showed that in mice sensitized with TNP-KLH, serum antibody titer and IgG concentrations of the gellan gum-fed and κ-carrageenan-fed groups increased significantly compared with those of the cellulose-κfed group (control). Low molecular fraction obtained from cecal contents of the gellan gum and κ-carrageenan groups enhanced significantly proliferation activity of splenocyte in vitro as compared with those of the control group. The increase of the serum IgG concentrations in gellan gum and κ-carrageenan groups was also observed under the condition without sensitization. The splenocyte proliferation activity was also increased by low molecular fraction obtained from cecal contents of the gellan gum and κ-carrageenan groups. These results suggest that some kinds of dietary fibers administered orally are associated with an increase of humoral immune responses in mice and some parts of the increased responses may be introduced by low molecular fraction of cecal contents.
