Chicken immunoglobulins for prophylaxis: Effect of inhaled antibodies on inflammatory parameters in rat airways

The prophylaxis against microbial airway infections of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients is an emerging application of chicken yolk antibody (IgY), however, no data on the effect of inhaled IgY have been published yet. Rats were daily (for 28 days) exposed to an aerosol of IgY, ovalbumin (OVA), Fab fragment of IgY, or PBS and their serum, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung tissue were examined for inflammation signs. There were no marked changes in lung parenchyma, except for an elevated number of alveolar macrophages in the OVA-exposed group. While the administration of OVA or IgY aerosols slightly increased levels of cytokine TNF-α and GRO/KC in BAL fluid, a marked elevation of GM-CSF in serum was observed after the OVA inhalation. The administration of Fab induced expression of IL-1β > IL-18 in serum, in contrast no effect exerted by IgY. Our results suggest that the aerosolized IgY did not cause any deleterious effects in rat lungs.