Preventive effect of sialylglycopeptide-nondigestive polysaccharide conjugates on salmonella infection

We have previously reported that sialylglycopeptide (SGP) and its derivatives isolated from egg yolk had a preventive effect on Salmonella infection in vivo; however, their retention time in the gut was rather short. To improve on this, SGP was conjugated with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) or carboxymethyl dextran (CMD). The conjugates inhibited the binding of Salmonella enteritidis and Escherichia coli to Caco-2 cells. Infection experiments with mice revealed that the SGP-CMD conjugate (SGP-CMD) had a strong protective effect against Salmonella infection. A turnover experiment in mice administered with radiolabeled SGP-CMD showed that SGP-CMD was more slowly absorbed into the blood and thus remained longer in the intestinal tract than SGP. SGP-CMD itself did not influence the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta, or nitrite ion (NO(2)(-)) by macrophages, although it suppressed that of TNF-alpha and NO(2)(-) in zymosan-treated macrophages, suggesting no causative effects of inflammation in SGP-CMD. SGP-CMD is potentially useful as a food ingredient with a preventive effect on Salmonella infection.