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Background: Functional iron deficiency facilitates allergy development and amplifies the symptom burden in people experiencing allergies. Previously we selectively delivered micronutrients to immune cells with β-lactoglobulin as carrier (holoBLG), resulting in immune resilience and allergy prevention., Objective: The clinical efficacy of a food for special medical purposes-lozenge containing β-lactoglobulin with iron, polyphenols, retinoic acid, and zinc (holoBLG lozenge) was assessed in allergic women., Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study, grass- and/or birch pollen-allergic women (n = 51) were given holoBLG or placebo lozenges over 6 months. Before and after dietary supplementation, participants were nasally challenged and the blood was analyzed for immune and iron parameters. Daily symptoms, medications, pollen concentrations, and well-being were recorded by an electronic health application., Results: Total nasal symptom score after nasal provocations improved by 42% in the holoBLG group versus 13% in the placebo group. The combined symptom medication score during the birch peak and entire season as well as the entire grass pollen season improved in allergic subjects supplemented with the holoBLG lozenge by 45%, 31%, and 40%, respectively, compared with the placebo arm. Participants ingesting the holoBLG lozenge had improved iron status with increased hematocrit values, decreased red cell distribution width, and higher iron levels in circulating CD14 + cells compared with the placebo group., Conclusions: Targeted micronutrition with the holoBLG lozenge seemed to be effective in elevating the labile iron levels in immune cells and reducing the symptom burden in allergic women in this pilot study. The underlying allergen-independent mechanism provides evidence that dietary nutritional supplementation of the immune system is one of the ways to combat atopy., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Whey protein is an insulinotropic fraction of dairy that reduces postprandial glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We have recently shown that β-lactoglobulin (BLG), the largest protein fraction of whey, elevates insulin concentrations compared with iso-nitrogenous whey protein isolate (WPI) in healthy individuals. We therefore hypothesized that BLG pre-meals would lower glucose levels compared with WPI in patients with T2DM. We investigated 16 participants with T2DM using a randomized double-blinded cross-over design with two pre-meal interventions, (i) 25 g BLG and (ii) 25 g WPI prior to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), followed by four days of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) at home. BLG increased concentrations of insulin with 10%, glucagon with 20%, and glucose with 10% compared with WPI after the OGTT (all p < 0.05). Both BLG and WPI reduced the interstitial fluid (ISF) glucose concentrations (using CGM) with 2 mM and lowered glycemic variability with 10-15%, compared with tap-water ( p < 0.05), and WPI lowered the ISF glucose with 0.5 mM compared with BLG from 120 min and onwards ( p < 0.05). In conclusion, BLG pre-meals resulted in higher insulin, glucagon, and glucose concentrations compared with WPI in participants with T2DM. Pre-meal servings of WPI remains the most potent protein in terms of lowering postprandial glucose excursions.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the protection conferred by lactoferrin, α-lactalbumin, and β-lactoglobulin in cerebral ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury. Rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells were used to construct an oxygen and glucose deprivation model in vitro, and ICR mice underwent carotid artery "ligation-relaxation" to construct a cerebral I/R injury model in vivo. The levels of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and downstream factors including nuclear factor-κB, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IL-1β were measured. Metabonomics detection and data mining were conducted to identify the specific metabolic sponsor of the 3 proteins. The results showed that lactoferrin, α-lactalbumin, and β-lactoglobulin protected neurons from cerebral I/R injury by increasing the level of bopindolol and subsequently inhibiting the TLR4-related pathway to different degrees; β-lactoglobulin had the strongest activity of the 3 proteins. In summary, this study is the first to investigate and compare the protective effects of lactoferrin, α-lactalbumin, and β-lactoglobulin in a cerebral stroke model. The results implicate TLR4 as a novel target of the 3 bioactive proteins to prevent cerebral I/R injury., (Copyright © 2020 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Degeneration of immune organs like thymus and spleen has been discovered in tumor-bearing mice; which increases the difficulties on oncotherapy. More effective drugs which target the protection of immune organs are expected to be researched. In this study; we aim to analyze the antitumor and immunoregulatory activities of seleno-β-lactoglobulin (Se-β-lg) on S180 tumor-bearing mice. Results indicated that Se-β-lg exhibited a remarkable inhibitory effect on S180 solid tumors with the inhibition rate of 48.38%; and protected the thymuses and spleens of S180-bearing mice. In addition, Se-β-lg could also balance the proportions of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in spleens; thymuses and peripheral bloods; and improve Levels of IL-2; IFN-γ; TNF-α in mice serums. β-lg showed weaker bioactivities while SeO₂ showed stronger toxicity on mice. Therefore our results demonstrated that Se-β-lg possessed stronger antitumor and immunoregulatory activities with lower side effects and had the potential to be a novel immunopotentiator and antitumor agent., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

A vast research has been conducted to find suitable and safe carriers for vital and pH-sensitive drugs including antibiotics. This article reports the use of easily accessible and abundant purified beta-lactoglobulin (β-LG) protein as the potential carrier of widely used Kanamycin (Kana) and Ciprofloxacin (Cip) antibiotics. Spectroscopic techniques (Fluorescence, UV-vis, Circular Dichroism) combined with molecular docking were used to determine the binding mechanism of these drugs. Fluorescence studies showed moderate binding affinity with the calculated binding constants K Cip  = 60.1 (±0.2) × 10 3  M -1 and K kana  = 2.5 (±0.6) × 10 3  M -1 with the order of Cip > Kana. Results of UV-vis were consistent with fluorescence measurements and demonstrated a stronger complexation for Cip rather than Kana. The secondary structure of β-LG was preserved upon interaction with Kana; however, a reduction in β-sheet content from 39.1 to 31.9% was convoyed with an increase in α-helix from 12.8 to 20.5% due to complexation of Cip. Molecular docking studies demonstrated that preferred binding sites of these drugs are not the same and several amino acids are involved in stabilizing the interaction. Based on the achieved results, Kana and Cip can spontaneously bind to β-LG and this protein may serve as their transport vehicle.

Serum proteins play an increasing role as drug carriers in the clinical settings. In this review, we have compared the binding modalities of anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) to three model carrier proteins, human serum albumin (HSA), bovine serum albumin (BSA) and milk beta-lactoglobulin (β-LG) in order to determine the potential application of these model proteins in DOX delivery. Molecular modeling studies showed stronger binding of DOX with HSA than BSA and β-LG with the free binding energies of -10.75 (DOX-HSA), -9.31 (DOX-BSA) and -8.12kcal/mol (DOX-β-LG). Extensive H-boding network stabilizes DOX-protein conjugation and played a major role in drug-protein complex formation. DOX complexation induced major alterations of HSA and BSA conformations, while did not alter β-LG secondary structure. The literature review shows that these proteins can potentially be used for delivery of DOX in vitro and in vivo., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The effects of orally administered β-lactoglobulin hydrolysate-iron complex (β-LGH-Fe) on haematological and biochemical parameters in anaemic rats were evaluated. Female weaning Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with iron-deficient diet to induce iron deficiency anaemia. After 6 weeks, the obtained anaemic rats were divided into five groups: iron deficiency control group (iron-deficient diet without β-LGH-Fe complex supplementation, IDC); three groups supplemented with different dosages of β-LGH-Fe complex (0.5 mg Fe/kg BW, iron-deficient diet with low β-LGH-Fe, IDLFe; 2.0 mg Fe/kg BW, iron-deficient diet with medium β-LGH-Fe, IDMF; 4.0 mg Fe/kg BW, iron-deficient diet with high β-LGH-Fe, IDHFe); and ferrous sulphate-supplemented group at a dosage of 2.0 mg Fe/kg BW., Results: β-LGH-Fe complex could significantly improve hematocrit and haemoglobin decrease, and normalise the serum iron level, total iron-binding capacity and transferrin saturation of anaemic rats in a dose-dependent manner. Serum ferritin content and hepatic nonheme iron level were also increased. In addition, the antioxidant enzyme activities of superoxidase dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase in both plasma and liver homogenate were improved. The production of malondialdehyde and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) decreased., Conclusions: It suggests that β-LGH-Fe complex can ameliorate iron deficiency anaemia, which might make it a potential ingredient with anti-anaemia activity.

Probiotic supplementation and oral tolerance induction can reduce certain types of food allergy. The objectives of this study were to investigate the allergy-reducing effects of probiotics (VSL#3) and/or oral tolerance induction via low doses of an allergen supplementation in β-lactoglobulin (BLG)-sensitized mice. Three-week-old, male BALB/c mice were divided into 6 groups (n = 8/group): sham-sensitized negative control (CTL-), BLG-sensitized positive control (CTL+), oral tolerance-induced and BLG-sensitized group (OT), probiotic-supplemented OT group (OTP), probiotic-supplemented CTL- (PRO), and probiotic-supplemented and BLG-sensitized (PROC) groups. Mice were i.p. sensitized with BLG and alum and then orally challenged with BLG. Immunological responses were assessed by monitoring hypersensitivity scores and measuring levels of BLG-specific serum Igs, total serum IgE and fecal IgA, and cytokines from serum and spleen lysates. Hypersensitivity scores were significantly lower in the PROC (2.00 ± 0.53), OT (0.75 ± 0.46), and OTP mice (1.00 ± 0.53) than in the CTL+ mice (2.63 ± 0.52) as were BLG-specific serum IgE concentrations (34.3 ± 10, 0.442 ± 0.36, 3.54 ± 3.5, and 78.5 ± 8.7 μg/L for PROC, OT, OTP, and CTL+, respectively). Our results suggest that supplementation of VSL#3 suppressed the allergic reaction mainly through increased intestinal secretary IgA (sIgA) in PROC mice, and oral tolerance offered allergen-specific protective effects to BLG-induced allergy, probably through CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cell-mediated active suppression. In OTP mice, probiotics did not induce a further reduction of hypersensitivity score compared with OT mice but may provide additional protection to unforeseen nonspecific challenges through increased intestinal sIgA.

Aim: Study mechanism of the development of intestine dysbiosis on the experimental model of mice from the position of reinforcement of translocation of opportunistic Gram negative enterobacteria (OGNE) from the intestine lumen into the system blood flow and the possibility of its correction by lactoglobulin preparations., Materials and Methods: Experimental medicinal dysbacteriosis of the intestine was reproduced in mice by using gentamycin. Changes of immunologic parameters in the animals during translocation of Gram negative enterobacteria and their LPS from the intestine lumen into system blood flow were studied., Results: During intestine dysbioses a pronounced inflammatory reaction was shown to develop at a local level with the increase of the amount of proinflammatory cytokines with the sequence IL-1beta - IFNgamma- IL-6 and reinforcement of formation of anti-endotoxin antibodies. Changes in the parameters of allergization of macroorganism under the influence of LPS occurred synchronously with the increase of amount of (OGNE) including escherichia with altered lactase activity in the background of its translocation into extrinsic biotopes. In decompensated variant of dysbiosis a pronounced activation of immune reactive spleen cells was noted. Immunobiologic preparations (lactoglobulin and low molecular peptides of immune colostrum) administered to the animals in parallel with the antibiotic caused deintoxication and desensitizing effect and reduced the side effect of its action., Conclusion: A scheme of development of dysbiotic disorders in the intestine from the position of reinforcement of translocation of (OGNE) from the intestine lumen into the system blood flow is proposed and mechanisms of positive effect of lactoglobulin preparations and low molecular peptides of immune colostrum that are perspective for the correction of this state are explained.

The nursery rhyme "Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet (small stool) eating her curds and whey. ..." is recognition of the fact that over the centuries "curds and whey", the two major components of cow's milk, have been widely accepted as part of a healthy diet. Milk provides complete nourishment for the neonate for six months from birth, containing factors that help develop various organ systems including the brain, immune system, and the intestine. Importantly it provides immune protection at a time when the neonates own immune system, though fully developed, is albeit immature. Many adult consumers include cow's milk as part of a healthy diet as it provides protein and essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, in particular calcium for strong bones. There is a growing appreciation that milk, and in particular whey, contains components that not only provide nutrition, but can also prevent and attenuate disease, or augment conventional therapies, when delivered in amounts that exceed normal dietary intakes. This paper reviews the emerging health properties of whey proteins and their clinical implications.

Whey is a natural by-product of cheese making process. Bovine milk has about 3.5% protein, 80% of which are caseins and the remaining 20% are whey proteins. Whey proteins contain all the essential amino acids and have the highest protein quality rating among other proteins. Advances in processing technologies have led to the industrial production of different products with varying protein contents from liquid whey. These products have different biological activities and functional properties. Also recent advances in processing technologies have expanded the commercial use of whey proteins and their products. As a result, whey proteins are used as common ingredients in various products including infant formulas, specialized enteral and clinical protein supplements, sports nutrition products, products specific to weight management and mood control. This brief review intends to focus on scientific evidence and recent findings related to the therapeutic potential of whey proteins and peptides.

Allergies to milk proteins are frequently encountered in the new born population. In order to prevent this allergy by inducing oral tolerance, one of the major allergenic milk protein, B lactoglobulin (BLG) was entrapped into biodegradable Poly (lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres and was then orally given to mice. Microspheres are able to protect proteins against degradation by intestinal proteolytic enzymes and to target the Peyers patches which are one important priming site of the mucosal immune system. Microspheres were prepared by the multiple emulsion solvent evaporation method. The goal of the formulation study was to associate large amounts of proteins to the smallest amount of polymer so that a minimal quantity of microspheres would be administered. It was shown that introducing tween 20 in the formulation was able to increase the encapsulation efficiency and to better control protein release reducing the burst release effect. Moreover, Oral administration of microspheres containing BLG reduced significantly (by 10.000) the amount of protein necessary to decrease both specific anti BLG IgE and DTH response. In conclusion, microspheres appear to be optimal systems to induce oral tolerance.

Heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the major cause of the ongoing AIDS epidemic. Application of chemical barrier methods is expected to contribute to the worldwide control of this epidemic. Bovine beta-lactoglobulin modified by 3-hydroxyphthalic anhydride (3-hydroxyphthalovyl-beta-lactoglobulin [3HP-beta-LG]) was shown to inhibit HIV-1, HIV-2, simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2, and Chlamydia trachomatis infection in vitro. Here, we show that 3HP-beta-LG not formulated into any vehicle protected three of six rhesus monkeys against vaginal infection by SIV. Incorporation of the compound into an appropriate vehicle is expected to increase the degree of protection. 3HP-beta-LG may be effective as a vaginal inhibitor of HIV-1 infection in humans.

The spread of sexually transmitted infections caused by herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) has continued unabated despite educational efforts generated in response to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic. Given the absence of effective vaccines, this indicates the need to develop prophylactic measures such as topical antiviral agents. Chemical modification of bovine beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG), the major protein of whey, by hydroxyphthalic anhydride (3HP) led to the generation of a potent HIV-1 inhibitor designated 3HP-beta-LG. This agent was shown to also have antiviral activity against HSV-2 and HSV-1 in vitro. Recent studies indicate that 3HP-beta-LG binds to HSV-1 virions, which, at least in part, involves the viral glycoprotein gE. Here we show that 3HP-beta-LG inhibits HSV-2 infection in the mouse model of genital HSV-2 infection. Simultaneous exposure to HSV-2 and 3HP-beta-LG caused a significant decrease in the proportion of infected animals (27% virus shedding, 5% lesion development and 0% fatality for 3HP-beta-LG as compared to 80% shedding, 60% lesion development and 53% fatality in mice treated with PBS). The proportion of animals with HSV-2 infection after treatment with beta-LG was similar to that in the PBS-treated group. Pretreatment with 3HP-beta-LG formulated in a gel, which prolongs the presence of the agent in the vagina, also significantly reduced the proportion of HSV-2-infected mice (5% virus shedding, 5% lesion development and 0% fatality for 3HP-beta-LG as compared to 70% shedding, 60% lesion development and 40% fatality in vehicle-treated mice). These differences were significant (P < or = 0.0005, 0.002 and 0.008 for shedding, lesion development and fatality, respectively). Virus titres in the minority of mice that developed infection were similar to those in untreated mice. HSV-2 infection was not inhibited by treatment of an ongoing infection, indicating that 3HP-beta-LG interferes with the initial infection. These data suggest that 3HP-beta-LG may be an efficacious agent for preventing vaginal transmission of genital herpesvirus infections.

Microbicide candidates were selected that have demonstrated activity against sperm or sexually transmitted disease pathogens in vitro, and the efficacy of these agents for preventing vaginal transmission of genital herpes infection was evaluated in the progestin-treated mouse. Each agent was delivered to the vaginas of mice approximately 20 sec prior to delivering a highly infectious herpes simplex virus-2 inoculum. The following agents provided significant protection: anti-HSV monoclonal antibodies III-174 and HSV8, modified bovine beta-lactoglobulin (beta-69), carrageenan, concanavalin A, chlorhexidine, dextran sulfate (average molecular weight 8,000 and 500,000), fucoidan, neem, nonoxynol-9, polystyrene sulfonate, and povidone-iodine. Two agents, gramicidin and heparan sulfate, though highly effective in vitro, were not protective in vivo at the doses tested.

The synergism of the protective action of lactoperoxidase, lactoferrin and lactoglobulin obtained from cow milk, as well as lactoferrin obtained from human milk, was shown in experiments on white mice, infected intranasally with S. sonnei and used as an experimental model. The combined administration of these preparations in doses, each one having no protective action, contributed to the elimination of the bacteria from the lungs and prevented the death of the animals. This phenomenon was found to be nonspecific and suitable for use in the development of preparations for passive immunization against a wide spectrum of microorganisms.

The comparative study of the effectiveness of immune immunoglobulin and bifidumbacterin for the correction of dysbiotic microflora in the intestine of premature born children with infectious inflammatory diseases. Immune lactoglobulin was administered orally to 37 children in a dose of 500 mg/kg twice a day for 1-3 weeks. The preparation facilitated the rapid and stable normalization of disturbances in the intestinal biocenosis in 86.5% of newborns. The elimination of opportunistic lactose-negative enterobacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa hemolytic forms of Escherichia from the digestive tract and the stimulation of the multiplication of lactic acid bacteria were noted. The treatment of newborns with immune lactoglobulin was found to give a more pronounced corrective effect with respect of intestinal microflora than the use of bifidumbacterin according to the traditional scheme.

The clinical efficacy of a preparation based on the lactoperoxidase system (LP-s) and lactoferrin (LF) was tested in calves experimentally infected with E coli K99+, Ent+. Mortality, occurrence and duration of diarrhoea were significantly lower (P less than 0.05) and general clinical status significantly better (P less than 0.05) in infected calves treated with LP-s and LF preparation than in infected but non-treated calves. Results suggest that LP-s and lactoferrin are effective in the treatment of enteric colibacillosis in calves.

The author summarizes the results of the preclinical study and clinical trial of the new biological drug lactoglobulin having an +anti-coli-proteus action. Shows that the drug holds promise in the treatment of infants with acute intestinal infections and dysbacteriosis as well as in the enrichment of lactic mixtures used for artificial feeding of premature children and babies referred to the risk group.

Prophylactic activity and side action of antiinfluenza lactoglobulin were studied under conditions of controlled epidemiological trial in 6361 persons during the epidemiological rise of influenza incidence. The data obtained pointed to the absence of any protective effect of antiinfluenza lactoglobulin. Marked allergenic properties of lactoglobulin and development of sensitization in the persons under observation were found during the study of the side-effect of the preparation. Thus, the absence of prophylactic efficacy and the sensitizing action of antiinfluenza lactoglobulin pointed to the inexpediency of its use for prophylactic and therapeutic purpose.

The action of a new biological preparation intended for the treatment of E. coli infection and Proteus dysbacteriosis in children has been studied in experiments on mice and suckling rabbits. The protective activity of anti-E. coli and anti-Proteus lactoglobulin has been found to exceed that of normal lactoglobulin 6- to 13-fold. When subjected to the action of proteolytic enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract, the preparation retains its preventive properties on the level of the native preparation, which confirms the possibility of the oral administration of the preparation in clinical practice without protecting it from the proteolytic action of the enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract.

The present report describes effects of lactoferrin treatment on the development of erythroleukemia in the spleen of mice infected with Friend virus complex (FVC). Lactoferrin (LF) treatment was carried out in mice for up to 2 weeks at a total dose of 200 micrograms per mouse. The treatment was started at Days 7 and 14 prior to viral infection and Days 0, 1, 3, 7, and 11 after viral infection. Spleens were analyzed 14 days after viral infection. In mice whose treatment was initiated at Days 0 and 1, few leukemic cells were present in the spleen. Most of them appeared in clumps in the red pulp. No leukemic cells were seen in the white pulp. The white pulp was greatly enlarged. In mice whose treatment was initiated at Day 3, leukemic cells began to spread out in the red pulp and encroached upon the white pulp. The white pulp was enlarged and clearly visible. In mice whose treatment was initiated at Days 7 and 11, many leukemic cells were present in the red pulp. The white pulp was infiltrated by leukemic cells and became less discernible. The morphologic features of the spleen in mice whose treatment was initiated at Day 7 or 14 prior to viral infection were similar to those of untreated groups. Leukemic cells not only filled most of the cordal space in the red pulp but also invaded the white pulp. Many leukemic cells were seen in venous sinuses. When infected mice responded to LF treatment, the general architecture of the red pulp remained intact and the white pulp was enlarged but not infiltrated by leukemic cells.

Purified iron-saturated human lactoferrin (LF) was assessed in vivo for effects on the survival rates of C57BL X DBA/2 f1 (hereafter called BD2F1) (Fv-2sr) mice and titers of spleen focus-forming viruses (SFFV) in BD2F1 and DBA/2 (Fv-2ss) mice inoculated with the polycythemia-inducing strain of the Friend virus complex (FVC-P). LF prolonged the survival rates and decreased the titers of SFFV in mice given FVC-P. Titers of SFFV, assayed 14 days after administration of FVC-P, were measured by the spleen focus-forming unit assay in secondary mouse recipients. Decreases in titers of SFFV were apparent when LF was given in vivo as a single bolus dose of 200 micrograms within 2 h of the Friend virus complex (FVC), or as a total dosage of 200 micrograms given on days 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, and 11 after FVC-P, and to a lesser degree when LF was given as a total dosage of 200 micrograms on days 3, 4, 7, 9, and 11 after FVC-P. No decreases in titers of SFFV were detected when LF was given up to 3 days before or more than 3 days after FVC-P. LF did not appear to be directly inactivating the viruses as it did not inactivate the SFFV or the Friend murine leukemia helper virus in vitro. The results suggest that the protective effect of LF in vivo is probably due to an action on cells responding to the FVC or to an action on cells which influence the cells responding to the FVC or which influence the virus. It has been shown elsewhere that LF decreases the percentage of marrow and spleen hematopoietic progenitor cells that are in DNA synthesis in vivo and this may be the means by which the protective effect of LF is mediated in mice given the FVC.

The prevention of enterogenic infection by human lactoferrin was tested in five neutropenic patients receiving chemotherapy for acute myelogenous leukemia. Lactoferrin did not significantly delay the onset of infection but reduced its duration and severity as judged from the course of fever. Compared with nine matched controls, lactoferrin-treated patients had a lower incidence of bacteremia on the whole and of gram-negative bacteremia in particular.

Experiments were undertaken to demonstrate and partially explain the protective effect of bovine lactoferrin (LB) when administered intravenously to mice 24 h before a challenge with a lethal dose of Escherichia coli. About 70% of mice pretreated with LB survived challenge. The survival rates in control mice treated with E. coli alone and pretreated with bovine serum albumin (BSA), were 4 and 8%, respectively. Human lactoferrin (LH) had almost the same protective effect as LB. Sufficient amounts of ferric ions were given to mice, in single and multiple doses, for full serum transferrin saturation 30 min before or after E. coli administration. The multiple dose of ferric ions did not change considerably the survival rate of mice pretreated with LB. In contrast, a single dose of ferric ions gradually decreased the survival rate of the mice after the first week of experiment. From day 14 this decrease was statistically significant in all groups of mice treated with a single dose of ferric ions when compared with mice pretreated only with LB, and the difference ranged from 25 to 35% on day 30. The possible mechanism(s) of protective effect of LB and role of iron ions are discussed.

A new biologically active supplement (BAS) for infant food was tested at an Infant's Home. BAS-IG contains lactoglobulin, an immune preparation against colibacillus and Proteus. During the primary examination of the infants in the Infant's Home intestinal dysbacteriosis was revealed in 100% of the infants, clinical signs of dysbacteriosis were detected in 88.4% of the infants. Two successive courses of feeding the infants with products enriched with the new supplement resulted in a significant improvement of the microflora composition in them and in normalizing their clinical condition. At the same time positive changes in a number of immunological factors were recorded. The authors have recommended using BAS-IG for correction of dysbacteriosis in children at Infant's Homes.

Antibrucellosis lactoglobulin obtained by the author had higher specific antibody titres (1 : 81920) than the gamma-globulin batches prepared earlier from the bovine blood serum (1 : 3200). The suggested antibrucellosis lactoglobulin was harmless, of low reactogenicity and produced a definite therapeutic action when administrated to the infected animals. Since lactoglobulin is less expensive than gamma-globulin further work on the improvement of technology of obtaining the former and on the elaboration of the most effective schemes of its use are of expedience.