Recently, word has been appearing in scientific literature suggesting that collaurin can activate the immune system response to foreign antigens. Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorg..., and the State Scientific Institution of Saratov Research Veterinary Sta...; have proved that gold nanoparticles increase the immune response of the body given the vaccination of the animals with the transmissible pig gastroenteritis (TPG) virus.

Transmissible pig gastroenteritis is a highly contagious and a very dangerous disease. It most commonly affects piglets in the first weeks of their lives, and in complicated cases can cause the mortality rate of 100 per cent. The piglets can be protected only with maternal antigens that they receive through colostrum and milk. Various vaccines for this disease exist, that are prepared using live or attenuated virus but these are not efficient enough which makes the increase of the immune response to TPG an urgent task.

Collaurin is non-toxic. It has already been proven as a carrier for medicines, genetic material and antigens; it is used for cancer and arthritis therapy.

The researchers prepared the TPG conjugate containing collaurin nanoparticles (with the average particle size being 15 nanometer). Gold interacts with viral proteins forming a sustainable complex. One group of experimental animals was immunised using the resulting conjugate while the other group received a virus without collaurin.

It was discovered that the TPG conjugated with gold nanoparticles was more effective in stimulating the work of the immune system as compared to a common virus. Moreover, the complex affects various sections of the immune system including both phagocyte cells and antibody production.

These are preliminary results but the researchers believe it possible that they can serve as a basis to create antiviral vaccines using cold nanoparticles.

Source of information:

S. А. Staroverov, I. V. Vidyasheva, К. P. Gabalov, О. А. Vasilenko, V. N. Laskavy, L. А. Dykman: “Studying Immunostimulating Action of Gold Nanoparticles Conjugated with the Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus.” The Bulletin Of Experimental Biology And Medicine, 2011, #4.

Natalia Reznik published by STRF.ru