Zhang Yanxiang, Tang Ruihan, Liu Yuanqing, Hao Zhihui, Fan Kai, Xie Shanshan, Tang Bo, Wang Shuaiyu
College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Agricultural College, Hubei Three Gorges Polytechnic, Yichang, China.
Front Vet Sci. 2025 Aug 22;12:1636663. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1636663. eCollection 2025.
This study investigated the mucosal immunoadjuvant effects of Gynostemma Pentaphyllum Extract (Gynostemma P.E), the bioactive constituents of , against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV).
Twenty-four mice were randomly divided into four groups: a negative control group (intranasal administration of antigen only), a Gynostemma P.E-antigen mixture test group (intranasal administration), and two positive control groups (intramuscular injection of antigen or inactivated homemade vaccine, respectively). Fourteen days post booster immunization, spleen samples were collected to assess splenic lymphocyte proliferation activity. Intestinal segments were harvested for histological evaluation; duodenal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and IgA-positive cell numbers were quantified via H&E staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Serum and mucosal lavage fluid were analyzed for specific IgG and secretory IgA (sIgA) antibody levels.
The results demonstrated that Gynostemma P.E significantly promoted immune organ development, enhanced splenic lymphocyte proliferation ( < 0.05), and elevated serum IgG and nasal mucosal sIgA antibody levels ( < 0.05).
This study presents an innovative approach that integrates bioactive compounds from traditional Chinese medicine with intranasal mucosal immunization, offering new perspectives for combating gastrointestinal infections in veterinary medicine, and demonstrates that Gynostemma P.E significantly enhance PEDV-specific mucosal immunity in mice, providing a foundation for developing safer and more effective PEDV vaccines (and other veterinary vaccines), data supporting Gynostemma P.E as mucosal immunoadjuvants, and a theoretical framework for future clinical trials.
本研究调查了绞股蓝提取物（绞股蓝提取物）的黏膜免疫佐剂作用，其生物活性成分针对猪流行性腹泻病毒（PEDV）。
将24只小鼠随机分为四组：阴性对照组（仅鼻内给予抗原）、绞股蓝提取物 - 抗原混合试验组（鼻内给予）和两个阳性对照组（分别肌肉注射抗原或自制灭活疫苗）。加强免疫14天后，收集脾脏样本以评估脾淋巴细胞增殖活性。采集肠段进行组织学评估；通过苏木精和伊红染色（H&E）及免疫组织化学（IHC）对十二指肠上皮内淋巴细胞（IELs）和IgA阳性细胞数量进行定量。分析血清和黏膜灌洗液中的特异性IgG和分泌型IgA（sIgA）抗体水平。
结果表明，绞股蓝提取物显著促进免疫器官发育，增强脾淋巴细胞增殖（<0.05），并提高血清IgG和鼻黏膜sIgA抗体水平（<0.05）。
本研究提出了一种创新方法，将中药生物活性化合物与鼻内黏膜免疫相结合，为兽医学中对抗胃肠道感染提供了新的视角，并证明绞股蓝提取物显著增强小鼠的PEDV特异性黏膜免疫，为开发更安全、更有效的PEDV疫苗（及其他兽用疫苗）奠定了基础，支持绞股蓝提取物作为黏膜免疫佐剂的数据，以及未来临床试验的理论框架。
