[Proteolysis of immunoglobulins--biologically-active supplement in a fermented milk in gastrointestinal system of rats].

There was studied a possibility of immunochemical specificity conservation in immunoglobulins ingested with a bolus of experimental fermented milk formula. Adult rats received intragastrically 4 ml of studied formula supplied with gamma-globulin fraction of normal serum. Concentration was measured of IgG, IgA and IgM in gastric and intestinal content and in feces 1, 2 and 30 hours later the ingestion by radial immunodiffusion and ELISA. At two hours of digestion up to 25.7% of IgG could be recovered from gastrointestinal tract in immunoprecipitated form. IgA and IgM macromolecules degraded in the intestinal lumen with significantly higher rate. Only trace amounts of IgG were revealed in feces. Molecular weight of immunoprecipitated IgG in distal intestinal compartment was equal to 50 kD according gel filtration data. This corresponds to large breakdown fragments of Fab or Fc type. It was concluded that this fragments could stimulate in non-specific manner some kinds of immunocompetent lymphocytes of intestinal tract.