Date of Award
1-1-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences
First Advisor
Michael A. Repka
Second Advisor
Eman Ashour
Third Advisor
Dr. Walter Chambliss
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
As one of popular dietary supplements, the health benefits of Arthrospira platensis (commonly known as spirulina) have been broadly reported. Immulina is a commercially available extract of Arthrospira platensis that is enriched with bacterial lipoproteins and acts as a Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) agonist. However, the immunostimulatory effect of Immulina in vivo has not been well understood. In this work, we explored the nanoformulation of Immulina to improve the dissolution rate in aqueous media. Building upon a standardized cell-based assay that measures the bioactivity of Immulina as a TLR2 agonist, we developed a quantitative methodology to determine the Immulina concentration in aqueous solutions. Finally, the immunological effect of Immulina was investigated in healthy mice following daily oral gavage of Immulina nanosuspension for 6 weeks. Mouse whole blood was sampled weekly and incubated with FITC-labeled E. coli particles, to evaluate the phagocytic activity of the circulating neutrophils by flow cytometry analysis. We found that Immulina significantly increased the phagocytic activity of peripheral neutrophils, suggesting an important mechanism for Immulina to boost innate immunity.
Recommended Citation
Li, Yusheng, "Immulina® As an Immunostimulatory Supplement: Dissolution and Pharmacodynamic Studies" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2539.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2539