An orally supplemented mononucleotide mixture prevents the decrease in T cell-dependent humoral immunity in C57BL/6...

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Nutrition Science
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Nucleotide-free diets impair T-cell-dependent humoral immune responses.
• Previous research indicated intraperitoneal nucleotide mixtures could mitigate this impairment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of orally administered mononucleotide mixtures (MM) in preventing reduced humoral immunity in mice fed a nucleotide-free (NF) diet.
• To determine if dietary nucleotide supplementation can restore T-helper cell function.

Main Methods:

• C57BL/6 mice were fed a NF diet for 3 weeks with or without daily oral MM supplementation (14 or 70 micromol/kg/d).
• Controls included mice on a NF diet without supplements and a positive control group receiving intraperitoneal MM.
• T-helper (Th) cells were isolated, cultured with antigen, and antibody-secreting cells were quantified.

Main Results:

• Both oral MM doses effectively prevented the decrease in T-dependent antibody production, similar to intraperitoneal administration.
• Th cells from orally supplemented mice generated significantly more antibody-secreting cells compared to those from unsupplemented mice.
• The source of antigen-presenting cells did not affect the number of antibody-secreting cells.

Conclusions:

• Oral nucleotide supplementation can effectively prevent the suppression of T-cell-dependent humoral immunity in mice fed a nucleotide-free diet.
• The findings suggest that dietary nucleotide levels, achievable through food sources, are critical for maintaining robust immune responses.