TY - JOUR
T1 - Vitamin A deficiency decreases natural killer cell activity and interferon production in rats
AU - Bowman, T. A.
AU - Goonewardene, I. M.
AU - Pasatiempo, A. M.G.
AU - Ross, A. C.
AU - Taylor, C. E.
PY - 1990
Y1 - 1990
N2 - We examined the effect of vitamin A deficiency on natural killer (NK) cell activity and interferon (IFN) production. Rats were weaned at 16 or 21 d of age onto semisynthetic diets containing either 0 or 4 μg retinol/g diet. At the time of study, retinol-depleted rats had serum vitamin A concentrations <7% of those of pair-fed controls. In two studies, rats exhibited no external signs of retinol deficiency, but with further depletion some symptoms were observed. Splenic NK cell activity against chromium-51-labeled YAC-1 cells was significantly decreased in vitamin A-depleted rats (22-80% of values for control rats, depending on the degree of retinol deficiency), regardless of the ratio of effector to target cells used. When vitamin A-depleted rats were repleted orally with retinol, NK cell activity was consistently normalized. To understand the possible mechanisms involved in decreasing NK cell activity, we investigated IFN production by concanavalin A-stimulated spleen cells from vitamin A-depleted, from repleted and from control animals. IFN titers were significantly decreased (22-33% of values for control rats) in supernatants of spleen cell cultures of the vitamin A-depleted rats. Repletion with vitamin A resulted in IFN activities ranging from 80 to 130% of controls. Adding α/β IFN in vitro to the spleen cells of vitamin A-depleted animals increased their NK cell activity. The number of spleen cells reacting with a monoclonal antibody specific for rat NK cells was slightly lower in retinol-depleted rats, but not enough to account for the differences in NK cells and IFN activities. These data suggest that vitamin A deficiency affects the nonspecific arm of the immune system, possibly by altering the functional capacity of cells to produce lymphokines needed for the generation of an appropriate cytolytic response.
AB - We examined the effect of vitamin A deficiency on natural killer (NK) cell activity and interferon (IFN) production. Rats were weaned at 16 or 21 d of age onto semisynthetic diets containing either 0 or 4 μg retinol/g diet. At the time of study, retinol-depleted rats had serum vitamin A concentrations <7% of those of pair-fed controls. In two studies, rats exhibited no external signs of retinol deficiency, but with further depletion some symptoms were observed. Splenic NK cell activity against chromium-51-labeled YAC-1 cells was significantly decreased in vitamin A-depleted rats (22-80% of values for control rats, depending on the degree of retinol deficiency), regardless of the ratio of effector to target cells used. When vitamin A-depleted rats were repleted orally with retinol, NK cell activity was consistently normalized. To understand the possible mechanisms involved in decreasing NK cell activity, we investigated IFN production by concanavalin A-stimulated spleen cells from vitamin A-depleted, from repleted and from control animals. IFN titers were significantly decreased (22-33% of values for control rats) in supernatants of spleen cell cultures of the vitamin A-depleted rats. Repletion with vitamin A resulted in IFN activities ranging from 80 to 130% of controls. Adding α/β IFN in vitro to the spleen cells of vitamin A-depleted animals increased their NK cell activity. The number of spleen cells reacting with a monoclonal antibody specific for rat NK cells was slightly lower in retinol-depleted rats, but not enough to account for the differences in NK cells and IFN activities. These data suggest that vitamin A deficiency affects the nonspecific arm of the immune system, possibly by altering the functional capacity of cells to produce lymphokines needed for the generation of an appropriate cytolytic response.
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U2 - 10.1093/jn/120.10.1264
DO - 10.1093/jn/120.10.1264
M3 - Article
C2 - 1698953
AN - SCOPUS:0025151617
SN - 0022-3166
VL - 120
SP - 1264
EP - 1273
JO - Journal of Nutrition
JF - Journal of Nutrition
IS - 10
ER -