BACKGROUND A previous study has reported that low-frequency (LF) electroacupuncture (EA) influences salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS is known to control the secretion volume of sIgA; however, the effect of high-frequency (HF) EA on salivary sIgA has not been determined. We investigated whether HF EA affects salivary sIgA levels and the A...

The oral mucosal pellicle is a layer of absorbed salivary proteins, including secretory IgA (SIgA), bound onto the surface of oral epithelial cells and is a useful model for all mucosal surfaces. The mechanism by which SIgA concentrates on mucosal surfaces is examined here using a tissue culture model with real saliva. Salivary mucins may initiate the formation of the mucosal pellicle through i...

A semiquantitative indirect immunofluorescence assay to detect coproantibody secretory IgA (SIgA) was established to investigate the human intestinal immune response to Yersinia species. This assay was based on microagglutination of SIgA in fecal specimens with the patient's homologous organism. Two populations of patients were defined, those who produced an agglutinating (2+) SIgA response and...

We present a model in which animals are passively immunized at a mucosal site, allowing one to evaluate immunological protection at the mucosal level only. Affinity-purified, anti-M protein sIgA administered intranasally protected mice against systemic infection after intranasal challenge with group A streptococci. In contrast, anti-M protein serum Ig administered intranasally was not protectiv...

Low levels of secretory IgA (SIgA) and transient IgA deficiency have been associated with an increased risk for allergy, but data are conflicting. The aim was to assess the relationship between salivary SIgA antibody levels at 1 yr and wheezing at age four in a birth cohort, in particular the possible protective role of salivary SIgA in sensitized children. Saliva samples were obtained from all...

The concept of an enteromammary link in secretory IgA (SIgA) antibody production was tested by hypothesising that specific SIgA antibody profiles in human milk might be an epidemiological marker for enteropathogens in a community. Milk from three subject groups was studied: 64 Sri Lankan women living in poor suburbs of Colombo, 20 Asian immigrant women domiciled in Birmingham, for a median peri...

Recent studies suggest that salivary lysozyme (Lz), lactoferrin (Lf), peroxidase (Spx), and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) may interact in a common antimicrobial system. A multiple protein approach therefore may be needed to determine the role of this system in oral health and ecology. In the present study we investigate the relationships between levels of Lz, Lf, Spx, and sIgA (adjusted for...

Intestinal microfold (M) cells possess a high transcytosis capacity and are able to transport a broad range of materials including particulate antigens, soluble macromolecules, and pathogens from the intestinal lumen to inductive sites of the mucosal immune system. M cells are also the primary pathway for delivery of secretory IgA (SIgA) to the gut-associated lymphoid tissue. However, although ...

In addition to being instrumental to the protection of mucosal epithelia, secretory IgA (SIgA) adheres to and is transported by intestinal Peyer's patch (PP) M cells. The possible functional reason for this transport is unknown. We have thus examined in mice the outcome of SIgA delivered from the intestinal lumen to the cells present in the underlying organized mucosa-associated lymphoreticular...

BACKGROUND The current study was carried out to evaluate and compare the job stress of female nurses working in emergency wards and female clerks and to analyze the possible relationship between the stress level and level of saliva secretory IgA (SIgA). METHODS Eighty four female nurses in emergency wards and female clerks of hospitals were selected (42 in each group). Their stress level was ...