title: Effect of zinc and melatonin supplementation on cellular immunity in rats with toxoplasmosis.
abstract: The effects of zinc (Zn) and/or melatonin supplementation on cellular immunity were investigated in rats infested with Toxoplasma gondii. Fifty Sprague-Dawley male rats were used for this study. All animals were fed a normal diet, ad libitum, containing 97 mg Zn/kg. They were divided into five experimental groups, as follows. Group I (n = 10) received intraperitoneal injections of zinc sulfate at a dose of 3 mg/kg/d for 3 wk. Group II (n = 10) received intraperitoneal injections of melatonin at a dose of 3 mg/kg/d for 3 wk. Group III (n = 10) received intraperitoneal injections of zinc sulfate (3 mg/kg/d) and melatonin (3 mg/kg/d) for 3 wk. Group IV (n = 10) was infested controls. Group V (n = 10) was healthy controls. There were no differences in the percentage of CD3+ lymphocytes among all groups. For groups I-III, the CD4+ and CD8+ ratios were higher than those of the groups IV and V controls (p<0.01). Similarly, the total lymphocyte ratios in groups I-III were higher than those of infested and healthy controls (p<0.01). The total lymphocyte ratios in group III were significantly higher than those of groups I and II (p<0.01). The plasma Zn levels in the supplemented groups were significantly higher than those of control groups IV and V (p<0.01). These results suggest that melatonin and/or Zn supplementation may activate cellular immunity by stimulating CD4+ and CD8+ production in infected rats with T. gondii.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Meram Medical School of Selcuk University, 42080 Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdülkerim Kasim
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Baltaci
authors.forename: Cem Seref
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Bediz
authors.forename: Rasim
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mogulkoc
authors.forename: Erdal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kurtoglu
authors.forename: Aysel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pekel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D014122:Toxoplasma; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000276:immunology*; D015032:Zinc / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D015032:Zinc; D008550:Melatonin