title: Vitamin B-6 deficiency impairs interleukin 2 production and lymphocyte proliferation in elderly adults.
abstract: The effect of vitamin B-6 deficiency on immune response was studied in eight healthy elderly adults. The protocol consisted of a 5-d baseline (BL) period; a vitamin B-6-depletion period of less than or equal to 20 d; three stages of vitamin B-6-repletion, each lasting 21 d; and a 4-d final phase. The amounts of vitamin B-6 ingested during the different phases of the study were 3.00, 15.00, 22.50, and 33.75 micrograms.kg body wt-1.d-1, respectively. During the final phase the subjects ingested 50 mg vitamin B-6/d. Fasting blood was collected at the end of each period. Vitamin B-6 depletion significantly decreased percentage and total number of lymphocytes, mitogenic responses of peripheral blood lymphocytes to T- and B-cell mitogens, and interleukin 2 production. These indices returned to BL values after the third vitamin B-6-repletion period, when the total vitamin B-6 intakes were 1.90 +/- 0.18 mg/d for women and 2.88 +/- 0.17 mg/d for men. Vitamin B-6 deficiency impairs in vitro indices of cell-mediated immunity in healthy elderly adults. This impairment is reversible by vitamin B-6 repletion.
authors.affiliation: USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111.
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Meydani
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ribaya-Mercado
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sahyoun
authors.forename: F D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Morrow
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Gershoff
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils; D026681:Vitamin B 6 Deficiency / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2