Effects of house-cultivated edible bird's nest on immunoglobulin and cytokine release in vitro.

Background and aim: Edible bird's nest (EBN) is known as the "Caviar of the East" because of its high nutritional and medicinal values. Nevertheless, its effect on human immunity is yet to be explored. This study examined the effects of EBN's aqueous extract (EBNE) on human immunity through the modular immune in vitro construct (MIMIC) model consisting of peripheral tissue equivalent (PTE) and lymphoid tissue equivalent (LTE) modules.

Materials and methods: One hundred twenty mL of full blood was obtained from four healthy human volunteers. The human immune system was simulated using an in vitro model, called MIMIC. Under EBNE treatment, monocyte transendothelial migration through reversed endothelial layers was observed. Using PTE and LTE modules, monocytes were differentiated into dendritic cells with lipopolysaccharide, then co-cultured with T- and B-cells for cytokine and immunoglobulin (Ig) production. The human cytokine array G2000 and quantitative human Ig isotyping array were used to identify the cytokine profile and Ig isotypes, respectively.

Results: IgE, IgA, and IgG3 levels were significantly raised by EBNE. These cytokines, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor, ciliary neurotrophic factor, glial cell line-derivative neurotrophic factor, insulin-like growth factor 1, and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4, were generated.

Conclusion: For the first time, this work uses a MIMIC model to illustrate the impact of EBNE on human immune response. This new understanding of EBN's immunoregulatory effect allows for further exploration of how EBN interacts with the human immune system.