Mitogen response of B cells, but not T cells, is impaired in adult vitamin A-deficient rats.
The effect of vitamin A deficiency on the mitogen response of splenic B and T lymphocytes was determined in adult vitamin A-deficient rats. Female weanling Brown Norway/Billingham-Rijswijk (BN/BiRij) and Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a semipurified, essentially vitamin A-free diet, which resulted in clinical symptoms of vitamin A deficiency and severely decreased plasma retinol contents at the age of about 17 and 41 wk for BN/BiRij and Sprague-Dawley rats, respectively. A lower B cell proliferative response after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide in combination with dextran sulfate was observed in vitamin A-deficient rats of both strains, but the T cell proliferative response after concanavalin A stimulation was unchanged. The lower B cell mitogen response was not associated with changes in the cellular composition of the spleen (as analyzed with monoclonal antibodies specific for the various subsets of T and B cells and of macrophages). We suggest that the age at which clinical symptoms of vitamin A deficiency are induced may be an important determinant for the immunological variables affected.
van Bennekum
A M
AM
TNO Institute for Aging and Vascular Research, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Wong Yen Kong
L R
LR
Gijbels
M J
MJ
Tielen
F J
FJ
Roholl
P J
PJ
Brouwer
A
A
Hendriks
H F
HF
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002455:Cell Division; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008934:Mitogens / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013045:Species Specificity; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000276:immunology*
D008934:Mitogens