title: Vitamin A deficiency diminishes the salivary immunoglobulin A response and enhances the serum immunoglobulin G response to influenza A virus infection in BALB/c mice.
abstract: We examined the effect of vitamin A deficiency on the secretory immunoglobulin (Ig) A and serum IgG response to influenza A virus infections in BALB/c mice. Mice fed a vitamin A-deficient (VAD mice) or a control diet were inoculated with influenza virus at 7 or 9 wk of age when serum retinol concentration had dropped to < or = 0.35 mumol/L in the VAD mice. The influenza-specific salivary IgA response to a mild infection (intranasal inoculation without anesthesia) was not significantly lower in the VAD group (5.3 +/- 2.1% of total IgA 4 wk after infection) than in the control group (10 +/- 11%, P > 0.05). In a separate experiment, this salivary IgA response was significantly lower in the VAD mice (0.3 +/- 0.4% of total IgA) following a more severe infection (intranasal infection while under anesthesia) than it was in control mice (4.2 +/- 4.6% of total IgA, P < 0.0001). In contrast, the concentration of total salivary IgA was uniformly greater in the VAD mice than in the control mice during both the mild infection (VAD, 17 +/- 6 mg/L vs. control, 8 +/- 11 mg/L at 3 wk, P < 0.0001) and the severe infection (VAD, 38 +/- 30 mg/L vs. control, 9 +/- 7 mg/L, P < 0.0001). Similarly, the influenza-specific serum IgG response was also greater in the VAD mice than in the control mice during both the mild infection (VAD, 194 +/- 91 mg/L vs. control, 79 +/- 95 mg/L at 5 wk, P = 0.0002) and the severe infection [VAD median, 202 mg/L (25th, 75th percentiles, 153, 409 mg/L) vs. control, 123 mg/L (42, 165 mg/L), P = 0.0023]. Thus VAD significantly impairs the secretory IgA response to influenza infection but modestly increases the serum IgG response to the same infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of International Health, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294, USA.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Stephensen
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Moldoveanu
authors.forename: N N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Gangopadhyay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D014801:Vitamin A