Humoral immunity factors in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicufaris) serum: Immunoglobulins and total light chains in nursing dams

Abstract This study was aimed at the identification of variations in humoral immunity parameters during the lactation period in macaque females, a recognized model in reproductive physiology and pathology. The importance of such evaluation is evidenced in particular by the central role played by the maternally transferred immunity to the progeny. The trends of serum immunoglobulins and light chains were characterized by immunonephelometry during the 6-months of lactation. The levels attained by nursing females were evaluated against a control group. The main modifications induced by lactation were in the IgM class, whose levels remained constantly lower than in the control group; the other Igs, even if showing different trends, returned to levels comparable to the control group by the end of the sixth month. Light chains quantification evidenced a significant decrease in Kappa levels; Lambda chains showed a similar trend. The variation of the Kappa/Lambda ratio was therefore minimal.