comparison of immunomodulating properties of beta-lactoglobulin and its hydrolysates.

cow’s milk allergy is one of the most common food allergies in childhood. beta- lactoglobulin (β-  lg) is  a dominant  allergen in  cow’s milk. hydrolysis is  known as  an effective method to reduce the allergenicity of proteins. thus, the objective of this study was to compare the allergenicity of β-lg and its hydrolysates using an animal model. twenty four balb/c mice were divided into three groups and subcutaneously injected with native bovine β-lg and its hydrolysates on days 0, 7 and 14. during the sensitization period, a number of systemic anaphylactic indicators were observed in mice sensitized by β- lg compared to those sensitized by hydrolysates of β-lg. mice sensitized by hydrolysates of β-lg showed a significantly lower spleen lymphocyte proliferation level than that sensitized by intact β-lg. antibody levels of β-lg-specific ige in serum induced by native β-lg were significantly high. plasma histamine levels were also evaluated  and  showed  the  same  trend  as  ige.  moreover,  the  hydrolysates  of  β-lg significantly down-regulated il-4 and il-5 secretions in serum. these results suggested that enzymatic hydrolysis could reduce the allergenicity of β-lg.