Abstract:To explore the effect of ovotransferrin (OVT) on the maturation of mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) in vitro, different concentrations of OVT as well as lipopolysaccharides (LPS) + different concentrations of OVT were used to stimulate a 6-day culture of BMDCs for 48 hours. Changes in DC morphology were observed using inverted phase microscopy, whereas the proportion of CD11c+ cells and expression of MHC-II, CD80, and CD40 molecules were determined by flow cytometry (FC). The results showed that different concentrations of OVT caused an increase in finer dendritic protrusions with the typical morphology of DCs compared to the negative control. The proportion of CD11c+ cells and expression of MHC-II, CD80, and CD40 molecules were all up-regulated as well. Low concentration (≤ 25 μg/mL) of OVT+LPS up-regulated the proportion of CD11c+ cells and the expression of MHC-II, CD80, and CD40, while high concentration (> 25 μg/mL) of OVT+LPS inhibited both, the proportion of CD11c+ cells and the expression of MHC-II, CD80, and CD40. In conclusion, different concentrations of OVT induced the maturation of DCs. LPS + low concentration of OVT induced a synergistic effect, while LPS + high concentration of OVT showed an antagonistic effect.
