Preparation and purification of anti-Helicobacter pylori immunoglobulin Y from the egg yolk of laying hens

Abstract

Chicken egg yolk constitutes a convenient alternative source of antibodies as it is advantageous over mammalian serum counterparts regarding productivity, animal welfare and specificity. Avian IgY is transmitted from hen’s blood to egg yolks offering a non-invasive source of high amounts of antibodies for their offspring. Moreover, IgY is more suitable for diagnostic purposes than mammalian antibodies due to its structural differences and phylogenetic distance. Therefore, IgY has been extensively used in health research for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Production and evaluation of specific antibodies of immunized hens are attracting scientific trends, as indicated from the extensive IgY literature. Considering animal care, high productivity and special suitability for certain diagnostic purposes, hen's eggs represent an alternative source of antibodies that offers some advantages over mammals. Even though, IgY antibodies still represent an underused resource. This can be attributed to the lack of information concerning the possibility of production, application and IgY isolation from the egg yolk. The main objective of the present work was to produce IgY specific to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), the bacteria of peptic ulcer, chronic gastritis, and gastric cancers. The produced antibodies are to be further employed for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. Polyclonal anti-H. pylori IgY antibodies were successfully produced, purified, and titrated in this study. This was accomplished through immunization of laying hens with the bacterial cell lysate and isolation of the anti-H. pylori IgY by ammonium