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The Influence of Ethionine-Supplemented Soy Protein Diet on Cell-Mediated and Humoral Immunity^{1 ,2}

Departments of Nutrition and Medicine, Howard University College of Medicine, 2041 Georgia Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20060

These studies were designed to investigate the influence of ethionine, a suspected carcinogen, on cell-mediated (CMI) and humoral immunity. It is believed that ethionine, an analog of methionine which is produced by intestinal bacteria, could have significant relevance to health. To study the effect of ethionine on immune responsiveness, three groups of mice were allowed to feed ad libitum for 5 weeks on one of the following regimens: diet 1, a basal diet of 16% soy protein; diet 2, soy protein supplemented with 0.6% dl-methionine; and diet 3, soy protein supplemented with 0.1% dl-ethionine. The immunological parameters measured were responsiveness to mitogens, [phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A), pokeweed mitogen (PWM), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)], delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB), and antibody formation to sheep red blood cells (SRBC). There were no significant differences in mitogen and antigen responses in mice maintained on diets 1 and 2 as measured by thymidine uptake in proliferating lymphocytes. However, there was a significant suppression in mitogen responsiveness in mice that received diet 3. DTH was also suppressed in mice on diet 3. Antibody levels were similar in all groups. Thus, there was clear evidence of suppression of CMI by ethionine in these studies.

KEY WORDS: • ethionine • cellular immunity • soy protein diets

¹ Previously published in abstract form in Fed. Proc. 39: 570, 1980. Also presented in poster session at The American Institute of Nutrition meeting held in Anaheim, Calif., April 1980.

² Represents a portion of the research for a doctor of philosophy dissertation presented by Peter M. Radix to the Department of Human Nutrition and Food of the Graduate School at Howard University.

Manuscript received 19 August 1982.