Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T02:42:34.007Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Vitamin A as an anti-inflammatory agent

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2008

Ram Reifen
Ram Reifen*
Affiliation:
The School of Nutritional Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, PO Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel
*
Corresponding author: Ram Reifen, fax +972 8 9363208, email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Vitamin A is necessary for normal differentiation of epithelial tissues, the visual process and reproduction, and is vital for the optimal maintenance and functioning of the innate and adaptive immune system. Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most profuse nutritional deficiencies worldwide. It is associated with increased susceptibility to infectious diseases in both man and animal models. Vitamin A also has a role as an anti-inflammatory agent. Supplementation with vitamin A has been found to be beneficial in a number of inflammatory conditions, including skin disorders such as acne vulgaris, broncho-pulmonary dysplasia and some forms of precancerous and cancer states. The present review suggests that vitamin A deficiency induces inflammation and aggravates existing inflammatory states. Supplementation with vitamin A in selected cases could ameliorate inflammation. The two main mechanisms which appear to be involved in the prevention of disease are the effects of vitamin A on the immune system and the effect on epithelial integrity.

Keywords

Vitamin AInflammation
Type
Joint National Nurses Nutritional Group and Parenteral and Enteral Group of the British Dietetic Association Symposium on ‘Working in Partnership’
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 61 , Issue 3 , August 2002 , pp. 397 - 400
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2002

References

Ahmed, F, Jones, DB & Jackson, AA (1990) The interaction of vitamin A deficiency and rotavirus infection in the mouse. British Journal of Nutrition 63, 363–373.Google Scholar
Baybutt, RC, Hu, L & Molteni, A (2000) Vitamin A deficiency injures lung and liver parenchyma and impairs function of rat type II pneumocytes. Journal of Nutrition 130, 1159–1165.Google ScholarPubMed
Biesalski, HK & Stoftt, TK (1992) Biochemical, morphological and functional aspects of systemic and local vitamin A deficiency in the respiratory tract. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 559, 325–331.Google Scholar
Bowman, TB, Goonewardene, IM & Pasatiempo, AMG (1990) Vitamin A deficiency decreases natural killer cell activity and interferon production in rats. Journal of Nutrition 20, 1264–1273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eidlman, DH, Bellofiore, S & Martin, JG (1998) Late airway responses to antigen challenge in sensitised inbred rats. American Review of Respiratory Disease 137, 1033–1037.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feacham, RG (1987) Vitamin A and diarrhea: a review of interrelationship and their implication for the control of xerophthalmia and diarrhea. Tropical Disease Bulletin 84, 2–16.Google Scholar
Furumitsu, Y, Yukioka, K, Yukioka, M, Ochi, T, Morishima, Y, Yuasa, I, Otani, S, Inaba, M, Nishizawa, Y & Morii, H (2000) Interleukin-1 beta induces elevation of spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase activity and an increase in the amount of putrescine in synovial adherent cells from patients with rheumatic arthritis. Journal of Rheumatology 27, 1352–1357.Google Scholar
Horton, JW, White, DJ, Maass, DL, Hybki, DP, Haudek, S & Giroir, B (2001) Antioxidant vitamin therapy alters burn trauma-mediated cardiac NF-kappaB activation and cardiomyocyte cytokine secretion. Journal of Trauma 50, 397–408.Google Scholar
Hussey, GD & Klein, M (1990) A randomized, controlled trial of vitamin A in children with severe measles. New England Journal of Medicine 323, 160–164.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jetten, AM, Shirely, JE & Soner, G (1986) Regulation of proliferation and differentiation of respiratory tract epithelial cells by TGF b. Experimental Cell Research 167, 539–549.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karin, M & Ben-Neriah, Y (2000) Phosphorylation meets ubiquitination: The control of NF-kB activity. Annual Review in Immunology 18, 621–663.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manna, BP, Ashbaugh, P & Bhattachryya, SN (1995) Retinoic acid regulated cellular differentiation and mucin gene expression in isolated rabbit tracheal-epithelial cells in culture. Inflammation 19, 489–502.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Matskua, LY (1983) Acne. Journal of Pediatrics 103, 849–854.Google Scholar
Morabia, A, Menekes, MJ, Comstock, GW & Tockman, MS (1990) Serum retinal and airway obstruction. American Journal of Epidemiology 132, 77–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neuzil, KM, Gruber, WC, Chytil, F, Stahlman, MT, Engelhardt, B & Graham, BS (1994) Serum vitamin A level in respiratory syncytial virus infection. Journal of Pediatrics 124, 433–436.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nur, T, Peijnenburg, A, Noteborn, H & Reifen, R (2002) Similar Gene expression patterns in vitamin A deficiency and chemically induced colitis in rats as revealed by DNA microarray technology. Journal of Nutrition (In the Press).Google Scholar
Olson, JA, Gunning, DB & Tilton, RA (1984) Liver concentrations of vitamin A and carotenoids, as a function of age and other parameters, of American children who died of various causes. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 39, 903–910.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Paiva, SA, Godoy, I, Vannuchi, H, Favaro, RM, Geraldo, RR & Campana, AO (1996) Assessment of vitamin A status in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients and healthy smokers. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 64, 928–934.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rautalahti, M, Virtamo, J, Haukka, J, Heinonen, OP, Sundvall, J, Albanes, D & Huttunen, JKI (1997) The effect of alpha tocopherol and beta carotene supplementation on COPD symptoms. American Journal of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine 156, 1447–1452.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reifen, R, Agami, O, Biesalski, H, Weiser, H & Naim, M (1998) Impaired sweet taste responses in vitamin A deficient rats. Metabolism 47, 1–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reifen, R, Nyska, A, Koperstein, L & Zusman, I (1998) Intestinal and hepatic cell kinetics and mucosa changes in vitamin A-deficient rats. International Journal of Molecular Medicine 1, 579–582.Google ScholarPubMed
Sauer, JM, Hooser, SB & Sipes, IG (1995) All trans-retinol alteration of 1-nitronaphthalene-induced pulmonary and hepatic injury by modulation of associated inflammatory responses in the male Sprague-Dawley rat. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 133, 139–149.Google Scholar
Semba, DR (1994) Vitamin A immunity and infection. Clinical Infectious Diseases 19, 489–499.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sharma, A, Lewandoski, JR & Zimmerman, JJ (1990) Retinol inhibition of in vitro human neutrophil superoxide anion release. Paediatric Research 27, 574–579.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shenai, JP, Kennedy, KA, Chytill, F & Stahlamn, MT (1987) Clinicaltrial of vitamin A supplementation in infants susceptible to bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Journal of Pediatrics 11, 269–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shoseyov, D, Bibi, H, Biesalski, H & Reifen, R (2002) Repeated allergen challenge in rats increases vitamin A consumption. Chest (In the Press).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swamidas, GP, Basaraba, RJ & Baybutt, RC (1999) Dietary retinolinhibits inflammatory responses of rats treated with monocrotaline. Journal of Nutrition 129, 1285–1290.Google Scholar
The Vitamin A and Pneumonia Working Group (1995) Potential intervention of the prevention of childhood pneumonia in developing countries: a meta analysis of data from field trials to assess the impact of vitamin A supplementation on pneumonia morbidity and mortality. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 73, 609–619.Google Scholar
Uni, Z, Zaiger, G & Reifen, R (1998) Vitamin A deficiency induces morphometric changes and functionality in chicken small intestine. British Journal of Nutrition 80, 401–407.Google Scholar
UNICEF (1997) The State of the World's Children. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Verma, IM, Stevenson, JK, Schwarz, EM, Van Antwerp, D & Miyamoto, S (1995) Rel/NF-kB/IkB family: Intimate tales of association and dissociation. Genes and Development 9, 2723–2735.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiedermann, U, Chen, XJ, Enerback, L, Hanson, LA, Kahu, H & Dahlgren, UI (1996) Vitamin A deficiency increases inflammatory responses. Scandinavian Journal of Immunology 44, 578–584.Google Scholar