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Bovine IL‐18 ELISA: Detection of IL‐18 in Sera of Pregnant Cow and Newborn Calf, and in Colostrum

2005; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 26; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1081/ias-200062487

1532-4230

Yoshihiro Muneta, Kazuhiro Yoshihara, Yu Minagawa, Reiko Nagata, Yasuyuki Mori, Takahiro Yamaguchi, Kazuaki Takehara,

Urticaria and Related Conditions

Abstract In this study, we examined the concentration of bovine IL‐18 in the sera of pregnant cows, their fetuses and newborn calves, and in colostrum in order to examine the role of IL‐18 in bovine pregnancy and the neonatal period. A sandwich‐ELISA to quantify bovine IL‐18 was established using anti‐porcine IL‐18 monoclonal antibodies, which cross‐reacted with bovine IL‐18, and used it to measure the concentration of bovine IL‐18 in the sera of pregnant cows, their fetuses and newborn calves, and in colostrum. Significant levels of IL‐18 were detected in the sera of pregnant cows, but not in the sera obtained from the corresponding fetuses, umbilical arteries and veins. After birth, IL‐18 levels in the sera of 1‐day and 1‐week old calves were low, and significantly increased in the sera of 1‐month and 4‐month old calves. IL‐18 was also detected in colostrum, with the concentration of IL‐18 in the first colostrum produced after delivery being the highest, and then decreasing depending on the number of milkings. Furthermore, the serum IL‐18 concentration of newborn calves was increased after the oral administration of colostrum. These results suggest that IL‐18 during bovine pregnancy and in the newborn period may play important roles in the maintenance of pregnancy and in the maturation of neonatal immunity. Keywords: BovineColostrumInterleukin‐18Neonatal immunityPregnancy Acknowledgments This work was supported by a grant provided from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan.