Allendale, NJ—Lonza Inc., based here, has received a patent for their branded larch arabinogalactan immune support ingredient.Made via a patented water-extraction process from the common larch tree, the purpose of the ingredient is to elicit a beneficial response from the adaptive immune system when administered alongside a vaccine. In a statement, Bryan Rodriguez, global product manager for Lonza, said how this patent further validates the role of their ingredient as an immune supporter by calling upon adaptive human response. He also added that the ingredient provides an “immunomodulatory effect, meaning it can enhance the appropriate response to an antigen, as opposed to indiscriminately enhancing other arms of the immune system that would not be expected to respond.” This occurs due to the fact that the arabinogalactan is comprised of galactose and arabinose, common structural components of cell walls of environmental invaders such as bacteria. Because of this, immune cells quickly recognize and bind to it. Lonza also says that bioactive flavonoids in the ingredient give it some antioxidant capacity.

Several clinical studies have been taken using this arabinogalactan, and have yielded positive results. One trial published in the Nutrition Journal and Journal of the American College of Nutrition tested the antibody response in healthy volunteers treated with 23-valent pneumococcal (pneumonia) and tetanus vaccine, along with the ingredient. In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, subjects taking a daily 1.5 gram dose of the ingredient experienced a significant increase in lgG antibody response over a placebo group. Rodriguez says that these results mirror earlier trials, and serves as further validation for the ingredient to augment of the response to bacterial antigens in the form of a vaccine.