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Articles

Vitamin A Prevents the Decline in Immunoglobulin A and Th2 Cytokine Levels in Small Intestinal Mucosa of Protein-Malnourished Mice¹

Takeshi Nikawa^*,2, Kenji Odahara^*, Hiroyuki Koizumi^*, Yasuhiro Kido, Shigetada Teshima^*, Kazuhito Rokutan^* and Kyoichi Kishi^*

^* Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, The University of Tokushima, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and Department of Food Sciences and Nutritional Health, Faculty of Human Environment, Kyoto Prefectural University, Shimogamo, Kyoto 606-8522, Japan

² To whom correspondence should be addressed at Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, The University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.

Abstract

We examined whether vitamin A improved mucosal immune depression in mice with wasting protein deficiency. In male C3H/HeN mice fed a semi-purified 1% protein diet for 2 wk, plasma retinol and immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations in the small intestinal mucosa were 50 and 55%, respectively, of those in mice fed a semi-purified 20% protein diet, (P < 0.05). Daily supplementation of 0.3 mg of retinyl acetate to protein-deficient mice for 2 wk increased the plasma retinol level to the value in the protein-sufficient mice. However, 1 mg/d of retinyl acetate was required to prevent the decline of the IgA level caused by the protein deficiency. Mice fed the low-protein diet had lower concentrations of IL-4 and IL-5 in the small intestinal mucosa and fewer IL-4- and IL-5-containing cells in the lamina propria (P < 0.05). Retinyl acetate (1 mg) significantly restored the IL-5 level and the number of IL-4- and IL-5-containing cells. After immunization with 20 µg of cholera toxin (CT), the intestinal mucosa of protein-deficient mice contained significantly less CT-specific IgA than control mice. Treatment with 1 mg of retinyl acetate prevented the decline of anti-CT IgA level in the protein-deficient mice, improving their survival rate after an exposure to 0.1 mg of CT. These results suggest that large oral supplements of vitamin A may preserve mucosal IgA level during protein malnutrition, possibly by stimulating Th2 cytokine production and thereby, inducing resistance against infection.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin A • protein malnutrition • immunoglobulin A • Th2 cytokine • mice

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