Cox, SE; Arthur, P; Kirkwood, BR; Yeboah-Antwi, K; Riley, EM; (2006) Vitamin A supplementation increases ratios of proinflammatory to anti-inflammatory cytokine responses in pregnancy and lactation. Clinical and experimental immunology, 144 (3). pp. 392-400. ISSN 0009-9104 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2249.2006.03082.x
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Abstract
Vitamin A supplementation reduces child mortality in populations at risk of vitamin A deficiency and may also reduce maternal mortality. One possible explanation for this is that vitamin A deficiency is associated with altered immune function and cytokine dysregulation. Vitamin A deficiency in pregnancy may thus compound the pregnancy-associated bias of cellular immune responses towards Th-2-like responses and exacerbate susceptibility to intracellular pathogens. We assessed mitogen and antigen-induced cytokine responses during pregnancy and lactation in Ghanaian primigravidae receiving either vitamin A supplementation or placebo. This was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of weekly vitamin A supplementation in pregnant and lactating women. Pregnancy compared to postpartum was associated with a suppression of cytokine responses, in particular of the proinflammatory cytokines interferon (IFN)-gamma and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. Mitogen-induced TNF-alpha responses were associated with a decreased risk of peripheral parasitaemia during pregnancy. Furthermore, vitamin A supplementation was significantly associated with an increased ratio of mitogen-induced proinflammatory cytokine (IFN-gamma) to anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. The results of this study indicate that suppression of proinflammatory type 1 immune responses and hence immunity to intracellular infections, resulting from the combined effects of pregnancy and vitamin A deficiency, might be ameliorated by vitamin A supplementation.
Item Type | Article |
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Faculty and Department |
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health > Dept of Population Health (2012- ) Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases > Department of Infection Biology > Dept of Immunology and Infection (-2019) |
Research Centre | Centre for Maternal, Reproductive and Child Health (MARCH) |
PubMed ID | 16734607 |
ISI | 237692300004 |
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