Immunomodulating effects of water-soluble extracts of traditional French Alps cheeses on a human T-lymphocyte cell line

The immunomodulation potential of four pressed-curd cheeses was studied in vitro on human T lymphocytes. T lymphocyte proliferation and metabolic activity were evaluated with optimized 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine and 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assays, respectively. The up to 4.6-fold stimulation of T-lymphocyte proliferation and metabolic activity by Abondance and Tomme de Savoie water-soluble extracts (WSEs) at the lag phase suggested the presence of immunomodulating compounds in these cheeses. Since peptides released from milk proteins during cheesemaking are potential immunomodulatory compounds, the high-performance liquid chromatography peptide profiles of the cheese WSEs were determined. While no correlation between peptide composition and in vitro immunomodulation of T-lymphocyte cells could be established, peptide quantity, size and hydrophobicity were related to cheesemaking technological parameters such as cheese age and cooking temperature.