Dietary Vitamin E Modulation of Cytokine Production by Splenocytes and Thymocytes from Alcohol‐Fed Mice

Yuejian Wang, Dennis S. Huang, Ronald R. Watson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

As vitamin E enhances immune responses, it may reduce dietary ethanol (EtOH)‐induced immune suppression, thereby favorably afffecting host disease resistance. The effects of dietary vitamin E at higher level in alcohol‐fed female C57BL/6 mice was determined via in vitro cytokine production by splenocytes and thymocytes, and some other immune functions. A 15‐fold increase of vitamin E (160IU/liter) in a liquid diet (National Council Research), with or without EtOH (4.5%, v/v), was fed to mice for 10 weeks. Vitamin E supplementation restored production of interleukin‐2, ‐5, ‐6, ‐10, and inter‐feron‐γ by concanavalin A (Con A)‐stimulated splenocytes and in terleukin‐6 and tumor necrosis factor‐a by lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated splenocytes, which were suppressed by dietary EtOH. However, it had no effect on interleukin‐4 secretion, which was also reduced by splenocytes from EtOH‐fed mice. Vitamin E supplementation also restored EtOH‐suppressed, mitogen‐induced splenocyte proliferation, but not thymocyte proliferation, although it slightly increased production of immunoglobulin A and G by lipopolysaccha‐ride‐stimulated splenocytes, which were suppressed by dietary EtOH. Dietary vitamin E, furthermore, significantly increased interleu‐kin‐2 and ‐6 secretion by Con A‐stimulated thymocytes, which were suppressed by dietary EtOH, although it had no effect on interleukin‐ 4 and interferon‐γ production by Con A‐stimulated thymocytes from EtOH‐fed mice. These data suggest that dietary vitamin E supple‐mentation can modulate dysregulation of cytokines initiated by dietary EtOH and restore immune dysfunctions induced by EtOH ingestion.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)355-362
Number of pages8
JournalAlcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
Volume18
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1994

Keywords

  • Cytokines
  • Ethanol
  • Immunoglobulin
  • T‐cell Maturation
  • Vitamin E

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Toxicology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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