The regulatory effect of edible bird's nest glycoproteins on immune function and intestinal flora in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice

This study investigated the immunomodulatory effect of edible bird's nest glycoprotein (EBNG) regarding physiological and biochemical indices, transcriptomics, and intestinal flora using immunosuppressive mice. The results showed that EBNG could relieve body weight loss, repair the damage to the spleen and thymus, promote the proliferation of spleen T and B lymphocytes, and promote the secretion of cytokines and immunoglobulins in mice. Furthermore, EBNG alleviated the imbalance of gut microbiota by decreasing the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and increasing the abundance of intestinal probiotics such as Odoribacter. Transcriptomic analyses indicated that the mechanism of immunomodulatory effects might be triggered by the upregulation of the CD4, CD19, PIK3CD, and IFNG genes expressed by T and B cells, and participated in the immune-related signalling pathway, such as the intestinal immune network for IgA production and Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation. This study provides scientific support for understanding the immunomodulatory mechanism of EBNG.