Abstract: This study was designed to investigate the effect of ovotransferrin (OVT) on functional maturation of dendritic
cells (DCs). The capacity of DCs for inducing the proliferation of allogeneic spleen T lymphocytes was measured by mixed
lymphocyte reaction and the production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-12p70 (IL-12p70) and interleukin-10
(IL-10) in supernatants from DCs was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the activation
of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), and p38 mitogen activated protein kinase
(p38 MAPK) were detected by Western blotting. The results showed that OVT promoted the ability of DCs to induce the
proliferation of allogeneic spleen T lymphocytes and increased the production of TNF-α and IL-12p70 in a dose-dependent
manner. Up-regulation of JNK and p38 MAPK activation and blockage of ERK activation by OVT might contribute to
the expression of TNF-α and IL-12p70, so that OVT could effectively regulate DC maturation. These results indicate that
ovotransferrin can induce functional maturation of DCs and can be a potential functional factor to regulate body immune.

Key words: ovotransferrin, dendritic cell, T lymphocyte proliferation, cytokine, signaling pathway