The modulation of the host immune system induced by bacteriocins is a phenomenon much less understood when compared to other peptides or proteins, such as proteins extracted from mushrooms (such as LZ-8 (13 kDa) [27], Fip-vvo (15 kDa) [28] and FIP-fve (114 aa) [29]) and host-defense

peptides [30, 31]. In contrast to the TH2-polarized response elicited by OVA, higher mRNA expression for the TH1 cytokines TNF-α, IL-12 and INF-γ were observed in the intestine of bovicin HC5-fed mice. Liu mTOR inhibitor et al. [32] also demonstrated significant induction of IFN-γ after administration of the yam tuber storage protein dioscorin. Human cathelicidin LL-37 modulated the activity of IFN-γ on a variety of cell types [33], and pre-treatment

with LL-37 induced IFN-γ production selleck compound by monocytes, enhancing monocyte-derived dendritic cell functions, such as IL-12 secretion and TH1-polarized co-stimulatory activity [34]. Conclusions In the present work, for the first time, the effects of the oral administration of bovicin HC5 to an animal model were described. The bovicin HC5 concentration administrated to the animals (micromolar range) was greater than the quantities required for in vitro antimicrobial activity (nanomolar range). We have previously demonstrated that bovicin HC5, in higher con-centrations, was able to permeabilize membranes in an unspecific way [13], but

one should bear in mind that antimicrobial peptides can also modulate the microbial community composition in the intestine which could explain the partial destruction of small intestine cells caused by bovicin HC5 administration. Nonetheless, the impairment of the selleck intestinal cells induced by bovicin HC5 neither altered the gut permeability nor was typical of an enteropathy process. Regarding the immunostimulatory effects, the results confirmed that bovicin HC5 was able to stimulate the immune system of BALB/c mice at local level (gut immune system), by influencing the cytokine release towards TH1-polarized response. Proper pharmacokinetic studies will be needed to determine if bovicin HC5 can resist passage through the adverse conditions in the GI tract (low pH, presence of peptidolytic and proteolytic enzymes), but it should be noted that animals treated with bovicin HC5 showed more pronounced effects in the intestine compared to the animals in the negative control groups. These results suggest that the oral administration of bovicin HC5 might be a promising strategy to control microbial infections, manipulate microbial community composition or modulate immunological responses in the GI tract of the host animal. Methods Streptococcus bovis HC5 and bovicin HC5 Streptococcus bovis HC5 growth and bovicin HC5 extraction were performed as previously described [11].