This study examined the effects of
lactosucrose (4(G)-β-D-galactosylsucrose) on influenza A virus
infections in mice. First, the effects of
lactosucrose on fermentation in the cecum and on immune function were investigated. In female BALB/c mice,
lactosucrose supplementation for 6 weeks promoted cecal fermentation and increased both
secretory IgA (
SIgA) levels in feces and total
IgA and
IgG2a concentrations in serum. Both the percentage of CD4(+) T cells in Peyer's patches and the cytotoxic activity of splenic natural killer (NK) cells increased significantly in response to
lactosucrose. Next, we examined the effects of
lactosucrose on low-dose influenza A virus
infection in mice. After 2 weeks of dietary supplementation with
lactosucrose, the mice were infected with low-dose influenza A virus. At 7 days post
infection, a comparison with control mice showed that
weight loss was suppressed, as were viral titers in the lungs. In the spleens of
lactosucrose-fed mice, there was an increase in the percentage of NK cells. Lastly, mice fed
lactosucrose were challenged with a lethal dose of influenza A virus. The survival rate of these mice was significantly higher than that of mice fed a control diet. These results suggested that
lactosucrose supplementation suppresses influenza A virus
infection by augmenting innate immune responses and enhancing cellular and mucosal immunity.