title: Modulated mitogenic proliferative responsiveness of lymphocytes in whole-blood cultures after a low-carotene diet and mixed-carotenoid supplementation in women.
abstract: To determine the effects of dietary carotenes on the mitogenic proliferative responsiveness of blood lymphocytes in vitro, nine premenopausal women were fed a low-carotene diet for 120 d. Low-dose beta-carotene (0.5 mg/d) was given to five subjects on days 1-60, while four received a placebo. All subjects received a low-dose beta-carotene (0.5 mg/d) supplement on days 61-120, plus a carotenoid complex on days 101-120. The mean (+/-SEM) serum beta-carotene concentration for the combined beta-carotene supplemented and placebo subjects (n = 9) was not significantly reduced from that on day 1 (1.27 +/- 0.24 mumol/L) on days 60 (0.66 +/- 0.14 mumol/L) and 100 (0.91 +/- 0.38 mumol/L), but on day 120 (3.39 +/- 0.44 mumol/L) it was increased above that on days 1, 60, and 100. Maximum mitogenic proliferative responsiveness of blood lymphocytes in vitro to optimal dose phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was reduced on days 60 (P = 0.025) and 100 (P < 0.0001), but corrected itself on day 120 to a value above those on day 1 (P = 0.04), day 60 (P = 0.0001), and day 100 (P < 0.0001). Present findings show that a diet low in carotene had a suppressive effect on the maximum mitogenic proliferative responsiveness of blood lymphocytes in vitro, which was not corrected with low-dose beta-carotene supplementation but was with a carotenoid complex from vegetables rich in carotenoids.
authors.affiliation: US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, MD 20705, USA. kramer@307.bhnrc.usda.gov
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Burri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005526:Food, Formulated; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D019207:beta Carotene; D002338:Carotenoids