title: Loss of ileal IgA+ plasma cells and of CD4+ lymphocytes in ileal Peyer's patches of vitamin A deficient rats.
abstract: Child mortality in diarrhoeal disease is increased significantly by vitamin A deficiency in poor countries. The pathological mechanisms are not known in detail. However, in this paper we report that vitamin A-deficient Wistar rats had much reduced IgA+ plasma cells in the ileal lamina propria (eightfold reduction from 470 cells/mm(2), P = 0.009), as well as a prominent reduction of CD4+ cells in the parafollicular regions of ileal Peyer's patches (reduction from 7200 to 105 cells/mm(2), P = 0.009). IL-2Ralpha-chain (CD25) positive lymphocytes in the ileal Peyer's patches were also reduced significantly in vitamin A deficiency (from 1400 to 300 cells/mm(2), P = 0.009). The density of CD8 cells tended to be increased relative to the control animals (from 5100 to 6000 cells/mm(2), not statistically significant). In conclusion, the marked decrease of lamina propria IgA+ plasma cells may be one cause of the high diarrhoeal mortality in vitamin A deficiency. This, in turn, appears to be related to reduced numbers of activated or regulatory CD4+ T cells in Peyer's patches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Göteborg University, Gothenburg, Sweden. jan.bjersing@immuno.gu.se
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bjersing
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Telemo
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dahlgren
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Hanson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D007082:Ileum / Q000276:immunology*; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000276:immunology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D010581:Peyer's Patches / Q000276:immunology*; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000276:immunology*; D014886:Weaning
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A