The influence of dietary protein antigen on Th1/Th2 balance and cellular immunity.
Dietary administration of ovalbumin (OVA) antigen (Ag) into OVA-specific T cell receptor alphabeta-transgenic (TCR-Tg) mice resulted in the induction of activated CD4+ Th cells expressing CD69 early activation Ag. However, the number of CD4+ Th cells rather decreased by dietary administration of OVA antigen. The production of Th1-cytokines such as IFN-gamma and IL-2 markedly reduced in spleen of OVA-fed mice compared to mice fed with normal diet. In sharp contrast, the production of Th2-cytokine, IL-4 greatly increased in spleen of OVA-fed mice though the number of CD4+ T cells decreased to less than 10% of control mouse spleen. The decrease of IFN-gamma production and the increase of IL-4 production by CD4+ T cells was demonstrated at a single cell level by intracellular cytokine staining analysis. Moreover, such a polarized cytokine production pattern was also demonstrated using highly purified CD4+ T cells obtained from mice fed with OVA. In addition to the decrease of Th1-cytokine production, TCR-Tg mice fed with OVA-containing diet showed greatly reduced in vivo generation of NK cells, LAK cells and CTL. These results suggested that dietary protein antigen caused the polarization of Th1/Th2 balance into Th2-dominant immunity and inhibited cellular immunity.
Sato
M
M
Section of Genetic Engineering, Research Center for Genetic Engineering and Cell Transplantation, Kanagawa, Japan.
Iwakabe
K
K
Kimura
S
S
Nishimura
T
T
D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology*; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
D000941:Antigens; D016207:Cytokines; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D010047:Ovalbumin