Nutritional status and immune responses in mice with murine AIDS are normalized by vitamin E supplementation

Female C57BL/6 mice were infected with LP-BM5 retrovirus, causing murine AIDS, which is functionally similar to human AIDS. Vitamin E effects on immune functions, cytokine production and nutritional concentrations in retrovirus-infected mice were determined. Retrovirus infection inhibited release of interleukin-2 (IL) and interferon-gamma (IFN) and some immune functions, whereas it stimulated secretion of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and immunoglobulin (Ig) production. Furthermore, retrovirus infection induced some nutritional deficiencies in the tissues. A 15-fold increase in dietary vitamin E largely restored concentrations of some micronutrients (vitamins A and E, zinc and copper) in the liver, intestine, serum and thymus. It also partially restored production of IL-2 and IFN-gamma by splenocytes. Retrovirus-induced elevated production of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-6 by splenocytes in vitro was normalized by vitamin E. Elevated release of IL-6, TNF-alpha, IgA and IgG produced by splenocytes in vitro during murine AIDS were also completely or partially normalized by vitamin E. Vitamin E also prevented retrovirus-induced suppression of splenocyte proliferation and natural killer cell activity. These data indicate that vitamin E supplementation during murine AIDS can help to ameliorate the disorders during murine AIDS, suggesting vitamin E usefulness in treatment of AIDS in humans.