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Polysaccharides ─ Pathogenic Load Reduction & Disease Prevention
It is now recognized that certain complex polysaccharides can play an effective role in fighting disease and maintaining good health status, particularly under high productivity conditions in animal production systems. These polysaccharides include a category called Fucose Containing Polysaccharides (FCP) that makes up about 15% of the composition of Tasco®. Considerable research has recently been conducted on fucoidan and other complex fucans that are particular types of FCP.
Tasco® is composed of about 2% of sulfur that occurs primarily in the form of these complex sulfated polysaccharides. Numerous scientific studies have implicated sulfated polysaccharides as also having immune system stimulating effects with roles in cell proliferation, immune cell activation, cell adhesion, cell to cell communications and basic reproduction and fertilization processes1
Most cells in the body have polysaccharide molecules on their membrane surfaces. These polysaccharides are often attached to proteins or to lipids and act as active binding sites for various biological functions. In disease situations, bacteria, viruses and parasites utilize these same cell surface polysaccharides to identify animal host cells as the first step in the infection process.
When cells interact with each other, they first come in contact with these cell surface polysaccharides. Current scientific literature has shown that certain sulfated polysaccharides, including FCP’s are very effective in reducing pathogenic microbe attacks by blocking these receptors and preventing bacteria, viruses or parasites from finding the binding sites on host cells. This has been shown to reduce the infectivity of the disease, reduce the severity of disease, or prevent establishment of the disease in the host animal 2.
Polysaccharides ─ Effect on GI Tract Microbes
By blocking attachment of undesirable or pathogenic micro-organisms to host cells and, therefore hindering their growth, conditions are created within the intestinal tract to promote the increase of beneficial micro-organisms. The presence of these polysaccharides in Tasco® when released into the GI tract is thought to affect the micro-flora balance, increasing the number of beneficial micro-organisms, while repressing the growth of potentially harmful pathogens.
Recent results from studies conducted with Tasco® in beef cattle inoculated with the pathogen E coli O157:H7 (“hamburger disease” micro organism) has shown that not only shedding of the bacteria is reduced but that viability is also decreased once the micro-organism is shed into the environment3. Thus, Tasco® may have an important role to play in enhancing the food safety status not only in beef products but also reducing the impact of animal production units on the safety of water supplies and the surrounding crop production.
Sulfated Polysaccharides ─ Immune Modulator Agents & Stress Resistance
The animal immune system has several different mechanisms for acting as a defensive shield against invading cells (bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc.). It is thought that the unique sulfated polysaccharides contained in Tasco® work by activating a number of these mechanisms.
It has been recently determined that a large part of an animal’s immune status is determined by the health and status of its own GI tract and micro flora. By priming and stimulating the immune function of the animal through the GI tract, Tasco® contributes to the increase of the animal’s resistance to different stresses (disease, transport, mixing, etc.), if fed under the appropriate conditions.
Administration of prebiotics has also been shown as beneficial for immune health. Prebiotics provide nutrients to a select group of beneficial GI tract micro-organisms. These micro-organisms act to crowd out pathogenic microbes that might negatively affect health of the animal and also provide important sources of additional nutrients such as vitamins, fatty acids and other bioactives. A healthy GI tract also better resists pathogenic invaders, by having increased gut wall integrity and higher immune competency.
Recent research has shown that polysaccharide extracts from brown seaweeds similar to those in Tasco® have potent prebiotic effects, surpassing even classical and well research compounds such as fructo-oligosaccharides and inulin4.
1. Berteau et al. 2003 Glycobiology V. 13, 29R-40R 2. Hoshino et al 1998 Biol. Pharm. Bull. V. 21 730-734. 3. Bach et al 2007. 2007 Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. DOI:10.1016 4. Wang et al 2006. Nutr. Res. V. 26, 597-603
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