Vitamin A deficient mice exhibit increased viral antigens and enhanced cytokine/chemokine production in nasal tissues following respiratory virus infection despite the presence of FoxP3+ T cells.

ABSTRACT: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 250 million children under the age of five suffer from vitamin A deficiencies (VAD). Individuals with VAD experience higher rates of mortality and increased morbidity during enteric and respiratory infections compared with those who are vitamin A sufficient. Previously, our laboratory has demonstrated that VAD mice have significantly impaired virus-specific IgA and CD8(+) T-cell responses in the airways. Here, we demonstrate that VAD mice experience enhanced cytokine/chemokine gene expression and release in the respiratory tract 10 days following virus infection compared with control vitamin A sufficient animals. Cytokines/chemokines that are reproducibly up-regulated at the gene expression and protein levels include IFNγ and IL-6. Despite

SUBMITTER: Penkert RR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5892019 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature