muramidase and Vitamin-A-Deficiency

To clearly clarify the protective effect of vitamin A supplementation on immune function of well-nourished children suffering from vitamin A deficiency.. Three hundred sixty-two children in two kindergartens in Wuhan China were enrolled. Detailed dietary assessment and anthropometry were undertaken to facilitate the exclusion of malnourished children. Seventy vitamin A-deficient children with informed consent were randomly divided into the vitamin A-deficient-supplemented group and vitamin A-deficient placebo group, 35 vitamin A-sufficient children (age- and sex-matched with the vitamin A-deficient-supplemented group children) were selected as vitamin A-sufficient placebo group. The baseline and follow-up level of selected immune parameters of the 105 children in three intervention groups were compared.. The total proportion of severe and marginal vitamin A-deficient children was 10.9 and 21.96%, respectively. At baseline, the serum complement C3 and sIgA level of vitamin A-sufficient children was significantly higher than that of vitamin A-deficient children (P < 0.05). However, the serum lysozyme level of vitamin A-sufficient children was inversely lower. After intervention, vitamin A-deficient-supplemented children increased serum vitamin A, complement C3 and sIgA level, but their serum lysozyme level inversely decreased.. Vitamin A deficiency was still a serious health problem in children in China cities. Vitamin A supplementation was efficacious in ameliorating serum vitamin A status and partially impaired immune function of well-nourished children suffering from vitamin A deficiency.

Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; China; Complement C3; Dietary Supplements; Female; Humans; Immunity; Immunoglobulin A; Male; Muramidase; Nutritional Status; Vitamin A; Vitamin A Deficiency

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) alters the phenotype of airway epithelium and attenuates the epithelial defense system, and many studies have reported the association of VAD with respiratory disease. In this study, we investigated changes in submucosal glands (SMG) in a mouse model of VAD. C57BL/6 mice were fed a vitamin A-devoid diet and the others were fed a control diet (1.2 mg retinol/kg). The areas of serous and mucous cells of SMG were measured in 4-, 8-, and 20-wk-old male mice. The volume and lysozyme concentration of glandular secretions were also measured. The 2 groups did not differ in body weight or general morbidity at 3-10 wk of age, although serum retinol concentrations were greater in the control mice than in the VAD mice after 4 wk. Upon histological evaluation, we found that the areal ratio of serous cells:total SMG cells was significantly lower after 8 wk in the VAD mice compared with the control mice, although the total area of SMG did not differ between groups throughout the 20-wk experiment. The number of secretory bubbles did not differ between the groups, but total secretion volume was reduced by 35% in 8-wk-old VAD mice compared with controls. Furthermore, the concentration of lysozyme in secretions from 8-wk-old VAD mice was also less than in controls, compounding the effect of diminished secretion volume. In this study, we found serous cell hypotrophy/hypoplasia and dysfunction in VAD mice, which may contribute to the susceptibility to airway infection linked to VAD.

Topics: Animals; Bodily Secretions; Cell Count; Chemokine CXCL2; Disease Resistance; Down-Regulation; ErbB Receptors; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mucus; Muramidase; Phosphorylation; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas Infections; Respiratory Mucosa; Respiratory Tract Infections; RNA, Messenger; Severity of Illness Index; Up-Regulation; Vitamin A Deficiency

Topics: Animals; Electron Probe Microanalysis; Epithelium; Jejunum; Male; Microscopy, Electron; Microscopy, Immunoelectron; Muramidase; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Vacuoles; Vitamin A Deficiency; Zinc

Mice fed a semipurified, vitamin A-deficient diet (A- mice) and control animals fed the same diet with added retinyl acetate (A+ mice) were used to investigate the effect of vitamin A deficiency on primary immunoglobulin responses to protein antigens. At age 6 weeks, A- mice had serum retinol concentrations that were 46% of A+ controls. When immunized with a single antigen dose, these mice produced an antigen-specific IgM response equivalent to controls, but their IgG1 and IgG3 responses were sharply diminished (less than 30% of A+ controls). At age 8 weeks, A- mice had 20% of A+ serum retinol concentrations and less than 17% of A+ liver retinyl palmitate levels. Responding to a single antigen dose, A- mice produced approximately equal to 70% as much IgM as A+ controls. Their IgG1 response was less than 30% and their IgG3 response less than 3% of A+ controls. The IgG1 response kinetics were identical in A- and A+ mice. Diminished serum antibody responses in A- mice were attributable to fewer immunoglobulin-secreting plasma cells rather than to a decline in IgM or IgG secretion rate per cell. Total serum IgG3 levels, irrespective of antigen specificity, were slightly elevated in A- mice compared to A+ controls. The inefficient clonal expansion of responding B lymphocytes and contrasting impairment of IgM and IgG responses observed in vitamin A-deficient mice are discussed with respect to a possible helper/inducer-T-lymphocyte defect.

Topics: Animals; Antibody Formation; Body Weight; Diterpenes; Hemocyanins; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; Kinetics; Mice; Muramidase; Retinyl Esters; Vitamin A; Vitamin A Deficiency

Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Corneal Opacity; Diet Therapy; Edema; Hospitalization; Humans; Kwashiorkor; Leukocytes; Muramidase; Night Blindness; Proteins; Serum Albumin; Spectrophotometry; Syndrome; Vitamin A; Vitamin A Deficiency; Xerophthalmia

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Animals; Esterases; Histocytochemistry; Keratins; Keratosis; Male; Mouth Diseases; Mouth Mucosa; Muramidase; Rats; Sulfhydryl Compounds; Sulfides; Vitamin A Deficiency