QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lee, C.-Y. J. Articles by Fan Wan ;, Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lee, C.-Y. J. Articles by Fan Wan ;,

---

Articles

Vitamin E Supplementation Improves Cell-Mediated Immunity and Oxidative Stress of Asian Men and Women¹

Department of Zoology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

²To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Vitamin E is an efficient antioxidant and a modulator of the immune system. Although racial differences in both baseline vitamin E level and immunologic subsets are known, no reliable data exist for the Asian population. Furthermore, the extent of the effect of -tocopherol in protecting lymphocyte cells against oxidative stress and its association with cell-mediated immunity have not been elucidated. This study was undertaken to investigate the immunologic and antioxidant effects of vitamin E in healthy ethnic Chinese men and women. Volunteers < 35 y old (n = 26) were supplemented with 233 mg/d dl--tocopherol for 28 d. The in vitro proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of T-lymphocytes was determined in the study group before and after vitamin E supplementation. Cell-mediated immunity subsets and hydrogen peroxide production in T-lymphocytes were investigated by flow cytometry. The oxidant-antioxidant balance in plasma and urine was studied by spectrophotometric and gas chromatography-mass selective detection methods. The antioxidant properties of vitamin E were established (P < 0.01) by the elevation of plasma vitamin E, together with depression in both plasma malondialdehyde and urinary DNA adduct 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine after supplementation. Our data suggest a specific requirement for vitamin E in total-T and T-helper cell proliferation. We present the first evidence of the beneficial effects of supplemental vitamin E in healthy Chinese individuals on cell-mediated immunity and oxidative stress.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin E • free radicals • immunity • oxidative stress • humans

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. N. MEYDANI, S. N. HAN, and D. H. HAMER Vitamin E and Respiratory Infection in the Elderly Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., December 1, 2004; 1031(1): 214 - 222. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. J. Field, I. R. Johnson, and P. D. Schley Nutrients and their role in host resistance to infection J. Leukoc. Biol., January 1, 2002; 71(1): 16 - 32. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]