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A Mini Review on Medicinal Effects of Edible Bird’s Nest

June 2017
Lettters in Health & Biological Sciences 2(2):1-3

DOI:10.15436/2475-6245.17.016

Authors:

Chye Soi Moi

International Medical University

Rhun Yian Koh

International Medical University

Khuen Yen Ng

Monash University (Australia)

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Mini Review Open Access

Shi Kin Tai1, Rhun Yian Koh1, Khuen Yen Ng2, Soi Moi Chye1*

Abstract

Edible bird’s nest is a famous and nutritious food which is well-known among

Chinese community. It is made from the saliva of swiftlets. It is consumed for various

reasons, including as health tonic, complexion enhancer, asthma alleviator and immune

system enhancer. It contains both macronutrients and micronutirents such as carbohy-

drates, glycoproteins, calcium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, iron and others.

To date, a number of studies have reported on the health benets of EBN consumption.

Hence, this review describes the various medicinal values of EBN.

*Corresponding author: Soi Moi Chye, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tel: +6032731 7220;

E-mail: chye_soimoi@imu.edu.my

Received Date: April 28, 2017

Accepted Date: June 4, 2017

Published Date: June 6, 2017

Citation: Chye, S.M., et al. A Mini Re-

view on Medicinal Effects of Edible Bird’s

Nest. (2017) Lett Health Biol Sci 2(1): 65-

Lett Health Biol Sci | volume 2: issue 1

www.ommegaonline.com

Introduction

Edible bird’s nest (EBN), also known as the “Caviar

of the East”, is a renowned delicacy among Chinese communi-

ty for its nutritional and medicinal value[1]. EBN is made from

the saliva of tiny cave-dwelling birds known as swiftlets that

are commonly found in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia[2].

The rst consumption of EBN dated back into the Tang Dynasty

(618 - 907 A.D) where it was served to the courts of the China’s

Emperor as a supreme delicacy. Since then, the medicinal ben-

ets of EBN have been carefully documented and it was later

recognized as one of the great four tonics in Traditional Chi-

nese Medicine during the late Ming (1405 - 1433 AD) and early

Ching (1644 - 1911 AD) Dynasties[1,3]. Due to its scarcity and

rarity, EBN was regarded as a symbol of wealth, power and pres-

tige[3]. For centuries, EBN had been consumed as health tonic,

complexion enhancer, asthma alleviator and immune system en-

hancer[2].

The major nutrient components of EBN are carbohy-

drates and glycoproteins, along with minor essential trace ele-

ments such as calcium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, manganese

and iron[2,3]. EBN contains many bioactive compounds which

have health promoting effects such as glucosamine, lactoferrin,

sialic acid, amino acids, fatty acids, triacylglycerol, vitamins,

minerals and other antioxidants[3-5]. Despite many health effects

were claimed to be associated with EBN consumption, its mech-

anism of action is unknown and there is no clinical evidence to

support those claims. This article aims to provide an overview

A Mini Review on Medicinal Effects of Edible Bird’s Nest

Attribution 4.0 International License. 65

1School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

Letters In Health and

Biological Sciences

Chye, S.M., et al.

DOI: 10.15436/2475-6245.17.016

on EBN and its medicinal effects, with support from the latest

evidence-based discoveries on the benets of EBN consump-

tion.

Medicinal Effects of EBN

Antiviral properties of EBN

In 2006, a research was conducted to study the antiviral

efcacy of natural cave and house-cultured EBN[4]. The research

demonstrated that EBN extract could effectively inhibit inuen-

za infection independent of its strains− human, avian and swine,

by directly binding to the inuenza virus itself or inhibiting the

hemagglutination of the virus to human erythrocytes (Figure 1).

Furthermore, EBN was found to neutralize the virus infection in

Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. In the experiment,

EBN extracts treated with the protease pancreatin, has shown

a stronger inhibitory activity against inuenza virus, indicating

that the lower molecular peptides (10 - 25kDa sialyl glycopro-

tein) were accounted for the antiviral properties of EBN. Con-

versely, EBN extracts treated with neuraminidase (NA), which

cleaves the terminal sialic acid residues, causes reduction in the

EBN/virus binding activity. This suggests that the virus binding

effect of EBN is related to the presence of sialic acid. Generally,

the viral inhibition activities of the wild EBN extracts were high-

er than the house-cultured EBN extracts. It was proved that the

main antiviral effect of EBN was mediated by the sialyl glycol

conjugates with Neu5Ac2-3Gal linkages. The study concluded

that EBN could be a safe and effective natural source for the

prevention of inuenza virus infection. However, the detailed

in vivo effects of the inuenza virus inhibition by EBN should

be evaluated. Later in 2008, Yagi et al., reported the presence of

N-glycosylation in EBN and proposed that the sialylated high

antennary N-glycans of EBN, particularly, tri-antennary N-gly-

can bearing the a 2,3-N-acetylneuraminic acid residues, contrib-

uted to the inhibition of viral infection[5].

Figure 1: Anti-inuenza virus effects of edible bird’s nest.

The antiviral activity of EBN is further supported in the

2016 study by Haghani and his colleagues[6]. The bioactive sialic

acids or thymol derivatives in EBNs have shown to effectively

inhibit the virus IAV strain A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1) by de-

creasing the viral intracellular NA and extracellular non-struc-

tural protein 1 (NS1) genes which are required for the viral in-

fection initiation and replication, respectively. However, these

effects were only observed in untreated EBN. EBN which re-

ceived enzymatic treatment (either pancreatin or NA) showed

no effect on the NA gene, while EBN with pancreatin treatment

showed increased extracellular NS1 copy number and reduced

immunomodulatory property[6]. The observations suggested that

some amino acids of EBN might cause an increase in the viral

activities. On the other hand, EBN has shown to improve the

outcome of inuenza infection in BALB/c mice through modu-

lation of immune responses by actively changing the cytokines

patterns, such as activation of pro-inammatory responses and

cell-mediated immunity, depending on the infection phases.

On top of that, pre-treatment with EBN showed protective ef-

fect against the virus in the mice. EBN which contains higher

amount of acetylated sialic acid (Neu 2,4,7,8,9Ac6) displayed

better antiviral activity regardless of the source locations they

were obtained. It is recommended, however, to examine the

bioactive metabolites of EBN before using it as an alternative

antiviral medicine in clinical trials as the origin of EBN and the

species of swiftlets might affect the EBN’s composition.

Figure 2: Anti-H1N1 virus effects of edible bird’s nest.

Anti-oxidant properties of EBN

Apart from antiviral activities, EBN is also well-known

for its antioxidant properties. An in vivo study was carried out

to elucidate the antioxidant and anti-inammatory effects of

EBN on high fat diet (HFD)-induced oxidative stress and in-

ammation in rat models[7]. The results demonstrated that EBN

attenuated the HFD-induced oxidative stress and inammation

via transcriptional regulation of hepatic antioxidant and inam-

mation-related genes; and the effects were better than Simvasta-

tin, a well-known lipid-lowering medication. In short, the study

supported the use of EBN as an effective supplement for the

prevention of obesity-related inammation and oxidative stress.

The ability of EBN in reducing oxidative stress is be-

lieved to be attributed by its antioxidant content, as demonstrat-

ed in a study conducted by Yida et al.[8]. The EBN samples were

rst subjected to a simulated gut digestion model, and the di-

gested samples were then tested for their antioxidant activities.

Results showed that the digested samples displayed potent anti-

oxidant activities that contributed to the reduction in oxidative

stress markers. Similarly in another study, EBN displayed pro-

tective effect against hydrogen peroxide-induced toxicity in SH-

SY5Y cells[9]. Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical which induces

oxidative stress in cells. The protective effect of EBN suggest-

ed that it had the ability to scavenge free radicals and decrease

radical oxygen species, thereby lowering the oxidative stress.

Hou et al., further suggested that the antioxidant properties of

EBN were conferred by its constituents, namely lactoferrin and

ovotransferrin[9].

Neuroprotective effects of EBN

Several studies investigated that the neuroprotective ef-

fects of EBN were reported. Hou et al., demonstrated that EBN

attenuated cortical and hippocampal neurodegeneration in ova-

riectomized rats[10]. The data obtained showed that EBN supple-

mentation improved estrogen deciency-induced neurodysfunc-

tion by reducing advanced glycation end-products in serum and

down-regulating genes associated with neuro-degeneration and

apoptosis in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. Similar nd-

ings were observed in another study whereby EBN conferred

the neuroprotective effects against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced

degeneration of dopaminergic neurons principally through inhi-

bition of apoptosis. Thus, it could be concluded that EBN might

serve as a novel alternative therapy for oxidative-stress mediat-

ed neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and

Parkinson’s disease[11].

Effects of EBN on cardiometabolic diseases

To date, several studies which employed HFD or ova-

riectomized rat models have reported that EBN might possess

benecial effects on cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes

and cardiovascular diseases (CVD)[12-14]. HFD and the lack of

hormones in ovariectomized rats worsen the metabolic indices

(such as increased leptin and decreased adiponectin) and lipid

prole. This would induce hypercholesterolemia along with in-

sulin resistance, a condition which contributes to an increased

risk for developing cardiometabolic diseases. Adiponectin and

lectin are both important regulators of lipid metabolism and co-

agulation, whereby high metabolic indices are reected by high

adiponectin level and decreased level of leptin. In these stud-

ies, EBN has been proven to improve lipid prole and metabolic

indices in rats, in comparison to the non-treated and Simvas-

tatin-treated groups[12-14]. The effects were possibly mediated

through the regulation of coagulation-related genes and insulin

signalling genes.

Effects of EBN on bone regeneration

The effects of EBN on bones and cartilages were also

investigated in several studies. Matsukawa et al., showed that

ovariectomized rats fed with EBN had improved femur bone

strength accompanied with an increase in dermal thickness[15]. It

was also observed that oral administration of EBN signicantly

produced rats with heavier body weight along with higher fe-

Lett Health Biol Sci | volume 2: issue 1

Medicinal Effects of Edible Bird’s Nest

www.ommegaonline.org 66

mur calcium, phosphorus and hydroxyproline concentration as

compared to the control group. Generally, the ovariectomized

rats provided with high EBN supplementation showed greater

improvement as compared to the rats given low EBN supple-

mentation. However, the administration of EBN did not affect

the serum estradiol concentration. Skin samples collected from

the rats were stained with Masson’s trichrome staining to evalu-

ate the thickness of collagen brils. Results from the histological

evaluation show that EBN treatment was able to increase the

dermal thickness. In summary, EBN supplementation might in-

crease bone strength and improve skin aging (as thinning of der-

mal layer is associated with skin aging in human subjects). The

ndings are in line with the ancient Chinese literature, in which

EBN is believed to enhance skin complexion[16]. Through the

study in Drosophila melanogaster, Hu et al., further described

the anti-aging effect of EBN to be increasing the activity of an-

tioxidant enzymes, fecundity and life span, and decreasing mor-

tality rate and lipid peroxidation[17].

On top of that, investigation of EBN as a chondro-pro-

tective agent was carried out in vitro by using human articular

chondrocytes that were isolated from knee joint of patients with

osteoarthritis[18]. The addition of EBN to the cell cultures slows

the progression of osteoarthritis and aided in the regeneration

of cartilage. Moreover, EBN reduces catabolic activities and in-

creases cartilage extracellular matrix synthesis. Hence, all these

conditions would be helpful in alleviating osteoarthritis and

hence it was speculated that EBN is a nutraceutical agent for the

treatment of osteoarthritis.

Conclusion

Consumption of EBN has shown to bring multiple

health benets including antivirus, antioxidant and neuroprotec-

tion. It is also helpful in improving cardiometabolic diseases and

bone degeneration. However many of these health effects were

described in a handful of studies. More validation is required to

not only conrm the ndings but also to investigate the underly-

ing mechanisms.

References

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tern Med 13:19.

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Lett Health Biol Sci | volume 2: issue 1

Medicinal Effects of Edible Bird’s Nest

www.ommegaonline.org

Ommega Online Publishers

Journal Name: Letters In Health and Biological Sciences

Journal Short Name: Lett Health Biol Sci

ISSN no: 2475-6245

E-mail: healthandbiosciences@ommegaonline.com

Website: www.ommegaonline.org

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Jun 2015
BIOSCI BIOTECH BIOCH

There are reports of improved redox outcomes due to consumption of Edible Bird's Nest (EBN). Many of the functional effects of EBN can be linked to its high amounts of antioxidants. Interestingly, dietary components with high antioxidants have shown promise in the prevention of aging and its related diseases like Alzheimer's disease. In this study, the antioxidative potentials of EBN and its constituents, lactoferrin (LF) and ovotransferrin (OVF), were determined and protective effects against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)- induced toxicity on SH-SY5Y cells using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and acridine orange and propidium iodide (AO/PI) staining with microscopy were examined. Results showed that EBN and its constituents attenuated H2O2-induced cytotoxicity, and decreased radical oxygen species (ROS) through increased scavenging activity. Furthermore, LF, OVF, and EBN produced transcriptional changes in antioxidant related genes that tended towards neuroprotection as compared to H2O2-treated group. Overall, the results suggest that LF and OVF may produce synergistic or all-or-none antioxidative effects in EBN.

In vitro bioaccessibility and antioxidant properties of edible bird’s nest following simulated human gastro-intestinal digestion

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2014
BMC Compl Alternative Med

Edible birds' nest (EBN) is reported to be antioxidant-rich. However, the fate of its antioxidants after oral consumption is not yet reported. To explore this, we hypothesized that EBN antioxidants are released from their matrix when subjected to in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion. EBN samples were extracted using hot water (100[degree sign]C) with or without subsequent sequential enzymatic digestion using pepsin (10,000 units), pancreatin (36 mg) and bile extracts (112.5 mg). Additionally, pH changes (8.9 to 2 and back to 8.9) similar to the gut were applied, and a 10 KDa dialysis tubing was used to simulate gut absorption. The antioxidant capacities of the water extracts of EBN before and after digestion were then determined using ABTS and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays, while the protective effects of the EBN samples against hydrogen peroxide-induced toxicity in HEPG2 cells were determined using MTT assay and acridine orange (AO)/propidium iodide (PI) staining. Antioxidant assays (ABTS and ORAC) showed that the undigested EBN water extract had little antioxidant activity (1 and 1%, respectively at 1000 mug/mL) while at similar concentrations the digested samples had significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced antioxidant activities, for samples inside (38 and 50%, respectively at 1000 mug/mL) and outside (36 and 50%, respectively at 1000 mug/mL) the dialysis tubing, representing absorbed and unabsorbed samples, respectively. Cell viability and toxicity assays also suggested that the EBN extracts were non-toxic to HEPG2 cells (cell viabilities of over 80% at 1000 mug/mL), while AOPI showed that the extracts protected HEPG2 cells from hydrogen peroxide induced-toxicity. Based on the findings, it is likely that EBN bioactives are released from their matrix when digested in the gut and then absorbed through the gut by passive-mediated transport to exert their functional effects. However, there is need to confirm these findings using in vivo systems to determine their clinical significance.

Edible bird’s nest ameliorates oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2014
BMC Compl Alternative Med

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder affecting the senile population with manifestation of motor disability and cognitive impairment. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is implicated in the progression of oxidative stress-related apoptosis and cell death of the midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Its interplay with mitochondrial functionality constitutes an important aspect of neuronal survival in the perspective of PD. Edible bird's nest (EBN) is an animal-derived natural food product made of saliva secreted by swiftlets from the Aerodamus genus. It contains bioactive compounds which might confer neuroprotective effects to the neurons. Hence this study aims to investigate the neuroprotective effect of EBN extracts in the neurotoxin-induced in vitro PD model. Methods: EBN was first prepared into pancreatin-digested crude extract and water extract. In vitro PD model was generated by exposing SH-SY5Y cells to neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Cytotoxicity of the extracts on SH-SY5Y cells was tested using MTT assay. Then, microscopic morphological and nuclear examination, cell viability test and ROS assay were performed to assess the protective effect of EBN extracts against 6-OHDA-induced cellular injury. Apoptotic event was later analysed with Annexin V-propidium iodide flow cytometry. To understand whether the mechanism underlying the neuroprotective effect of EBN was mediated via mitochondrial or caspase-dependent pathway, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) measurement and caspase-3 quantification were carried out. Results: Cytotoxicity results showed that crude EBN extract did not cause SH-SY5Y cell death at concentrations up to 75 μg/ml while the maximum non-toxic dose (MNTD) of water extract was double of that of crude extract. Morphological observation and nuclear staining suggested that EBN treatment reduced the level of 6-OHDA-induced apoptotic changes in SH-SY5Y cells. MTT study further confirmed that cell viability was better improved with crude EBN extract. However, water extract exhibited higher efficacy in ameliorating ROS build up, early apoptotic membrane phosphatidylserine externalization as well as inhibition of caspase-3 cleavage. None of the EBN treatment had any effect on MMP. Conclusions: Current findings suggest that EBN extracts might confer neuroprotective effect against 6-OHDA-induced degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, particularly through inhibition of apoptosis. Thus EBN may be a viable nutraceutical option to protect against oxidative stress-related neurodegenerative disorders such as PD.

Edible Bird’s nest extract as a chondro-protective agent for human chondrocytes isolated from osteoarthritic knee: In vitro study

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2013
BMC Compl Alternative Med

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that results in the destruction of cartilage. Edible Bird’s Nest (EBN) extract contains important components, which can reduce the progression of osteoarthritis and helps in the regeneration of the cartilage. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of EBN extract on the catabolic and anabolic activities of the human articular chondrocytes (HACs) isolated from the knee joint of patients with OA. Methods A single batch of EBN extract was prepared with hot-water extraction and coded as HMG. HACs were isolated from the knee joint cartilage removed during surgery. The optimum concentration of HMG for HAC cultures was determined using MTT assay. The effect of HMG on the catabolic and anabolic genes’ expression in HACs was measured by real-time PCR. The total amount of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production was determined by ELISA method, and the total sulphated glycosaminoglycan (GAGs) production was quantified by 1,9-dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB) assay. Results MTT assay showed 0.50% - 1.00% HMG supplementation promoted HACs proliferation. HMG supplementation was able to reduce the catabolic genes’ expression in cultured HACs such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMP1 & MMP3), Interleukin 1, 6 and 8 (IL-1, IL-6 & IL-8), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production was significantly reduced in HAC cultures supplemented with HMG. With regard to anabolic activity assessment, type II collagen, Aggrecan and SOX-9 gene expression as well as sGAG production was increased in the HMG supplemented groups. Conclusion Edible Bird’s Nest extract coded as HMG demonstrated chondro-protection ability on human articular chondrocytes in vitro. It reduced catabolic activities and increased cartilage extracellular matrix synthesis. It is concluded that HMG is a potential agent in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Preliminary Study of the Nutritional Content of Malaysian Edible Bird's Nest

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2010

Malaysian edible bird's nests (EBN) are from the swiflet species, Aerodromus fuciphagus. The objective of this study was to determine and compare the nutrient composition of EBN obtained from different parts of Peninsular Malaysia, collected at three different harvesting seasons, to four commercial brands. A total of 18 raw, unprocessed EBN samples from the North, South and East Coast zones of Peninsular Malaysia and duplicate samples of 4 commercial brands (processed) of EBN samples were analysed. The protein and mineral contents of unprocessed EBN samples between zones and harvesting seasons were comparable. Mean (± SEM) protein content of unprocessed EBN was 61.5 ± 0.6 g/100g and the top four minerals detected were calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium with mean (± SEM) concentration of 553.1 ± 19.5 mg/100g, 187.9 ± 10.4 mg/100g, 92.9 ± 2.0 mg/100g and 6.3 ± 0.4 mg/100g respectively. Sialic acid content ranged between 0.7 to 1.5%, and remained comparable between samples from different zones and harvesting seasons. The commercial brands were found to contain higher amounts of calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus compared to unprocessed EBN, warranting further investigation and verification with more samples. Since the nutrient contents of EBN may be affected by seasonal variations and even breeding sites, it is recommended that a more comprehensive study be conducted involving more samples and breeding sites as such data are important to ensure sustainability of the EBN industry in this country.

In Vitro and In Vivo Mechanism of Immunomodulatory and Antiviral Activity of Edible Bird’s Nest (EBN) against Influenza A Virus (IAV) Infection

Article

Mar 2016

Ethnopharmacological relevance: For centuries, Edible Bird Nest (EBN) has been used in treatment of variety of respiratory diseases such as flu and cough as a Chinese natural medicine. Aim of the study: This natural remedy showed the potential to inhibit influenza A virus (IAV). However, little is known about the mechanism of this process and also the evaluation of this product in an animal model. Hence, the current study was designed to elucidate the antiviral and immunomodulatory effects of EBN against IAV strain A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1). Materials and methods: First, influenza infected MDCK cells treated with EBNs from two locations of Malaysia (Teluk Intan and Gua Madai) that prepared with different enzymatic preparations were analyzed by RT-qPCR and ELISA for detection of viral and cytokines genes. The sialic acid composition of these EBNs was evaluated by H-NMR. Subsequently, after toxicity evaluation of EBN from Teluk Intan, antiviral and immunomodulatory effects of this natural product was evaluated in BALB/c mice by analysis of the viral NA gene and cytokine expressions in the first week of the infection. Results: EBN showed high neuraminidase inhibitory properties in both in vitro and in vivo, which was as effective as Oseltamivir phosphate. In addition, EBN decreased NS1 copy number (p<0.05) of the virus along with high immunomodulatory effects against IAV. Some of the immune changes during treatment of IAV with EBN included significant increase in IFNγ, TNFα, NFκB, IL2, some proinflammatory cytokines like IL1β, IL6, and cytokines with regulatory properties like IL10, IL27, IL12, CCL2 and IL4 depends on the stage of the infection. EBNs from two locations contained different composition of sialic acid and thymol derivatives, which gave them different antiviral properties. EBN from Gua Madai that contained more acetylated sialic acid (Neu2,4,7,8,9 Ac6) showed higher antiviral activity. Conclusion: The findings of this study support the antiviral activity of EBN against influenza virus and validate the traditional usage of this natural remedy by elucidation of toxicity and the molecular mechanism of action.

Characterization of the edible bird’s nest the “Caviar of the East”

Article

Dec 2005
FOOD RES INT

Massimo F. Marcone

A few species of swiflets (genus Aerodramus) build edible nests that are consumed by humans worldwide, as a delicacy known as the “Caviar of the East” or as a medicinal food. This study reports on the compositional properties of two types of nest, the white nest and the red “blood” nest. The order of composition (from lowest to highest) was found to be identical for both types of nests, i.e., lipid (0.14–1.28%), ash (2.1%), carbohydrate (25.62–27.26%) and protein (62–63%). It was also found that both nests share a common 77 KDa protein that has properties similar to those of the ovotransferrin protein in eggs. This protein may be partially responsible for the severe allergic reactions that sometimes occur among young children who consume edible bird’s nest products. It was found that SDS–PAGE electrophoretic fingerprinting might serve as a useful analytical technique for differentiating between white and red nests and for determining if the more expensive “blood” nest was adulterated with the less expensive white nest. Also evaluated were different analytical methodologies for detecting adulterants. Three of the most common adulterants found in retail bird’s nests are karaya gum, red seaweed, and tremella fungus, and they are routinely incorporated during commercial processing prior to final sale. Using crude protein determination, it was found that these adulterants (which typically accounted for 2–10% of the finished nest), reduce the overall crude protein content of the genuine white bird’s nest by as much as 1.1–6.2%. A modified xanthoproteic nitric acid test for proteins proved to be a rapid, and simple test to detect adulteration in both whole and finely ground nests, and would be suitable in the field where analytical facilities are not readily available.

Edible bird’s nest extract inhibits influenza virus infection

Article

Aug 2006
ANTIVIR RES

Edible bird's nest (EBN) is the nest of the swift that is made from its saliva. Although EBN has been widely used for enhancing immunocompetence, its antiviral efficacy has not been studied in detail. We found that EBN extract could strongly inhibit infection with influenza viruses in a host range-independent manner when it was hydrolyzed with Pancreatin F. Western blotting assay showed that the EBN extract bound to influenza virus. Furthermore, EBN extract could neutralize the infection of MDCK cells with influenza viruses and inhibit hemagglutination of influenza viruses to erythrocytes, but it could not inhibit the activity of influenza virus sialidase. Fluorometric HPLC indicated that the major molecular species of sialic acid in EBN is N-acetylneuraminic acid. The results suggest that EBN is a safe and valid natural source for the prevention of influenza viruses.