Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T10:16:23.311Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Vitamin E and infectious diseases in the aged

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2007

Sung Nim Han  and
Simin Nikbin Meydani
Sung Nim Han
Affiliation:
Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA
Simin Nikbin Meydani*
Affiliation:
Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA Department of Pathology, Sackler Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA
*
*Corresponding Author: Dr Simin Nikbin Meydani, fax +1 617 556 3224, 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.

The incidence of infectious diseases, particularly respiratory diseases, increases with age. Age-associated decline in immune function contributes to the increased susceptibility of the aged to infections. Vitamin E supplementation has been shown to improve some aspects of immune function in aged animals and human subjects. The protective effect of vitamin E against viral or bacterial infections in experimentally-challenged young animals has been reported. We investigated the effects of supplementation with vitamin E and other antioxidants on resistance to influenza infection in young and old animals. While vitamin E-supplemented young mice showed only a modest reduction in lung viral titre, vitamin E-supplemented old mice exhibited a highly significant (P< 0.05) reduction in viral lung titre. In subsequent studies, we focused on the mechanism of vitamin E-induced reduction of influenza viral titre. The results of these studies as well as those reported by other investigators on the relationship between vitamin E and infectious diseases will be reviewed.

Keywords

Vitamin EInfectious DiseaseAgeingInfluenzaImmune function
Type
Symposium on ’Nutrition, infection and immunity‘
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 58 , Issue 3 , August 1999 , pp. 697 - 705
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1999

References

Abb, J, Abb, H & Deinhardt, F (1984) Age-related decline of human interferon alpha and interferon gamma production. Blut 48, 285–289.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barker, WH & Mullooly, JP (1980) Impact of epidemic type A influenza in a defined adult population. American Journal of Epidemiology 112, 798–813.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baumgarth, N & Kelso, A (1996) In vivo blockade of gamma interferon affects the influenza virus-induced humoral and the local cellular immune response in lung tissue. Journal of Virology 70, 4411–4418.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beharka, AA, Wu, D, Han, SN & Meydani, SN (1997) Macrophage prostaglandin production contributes to the age-associated decrease in T cell function which is reversed by the dietary antioxidant vitamin E. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development 93, 59–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bender, BS, Bell, WE, Taylor, S & Small, PA Jr (1994) Class I major histocompatibility complex-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes are not necessary for heterotypic immunity to influenza. Journal of Infectious Diseases 170, 1195–1200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bender, BS, Johnson, MP & Small, PA Jr (1991) Influenza in senescent mice: impaired cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity is correlated with prolonged infection. Immunology 72, 514–519.Google ScholarPubMed
Bloom, ET (1994) Natural killer cells, lymphokine-activated killer cells, and cytolytic T lymphocytes: compartmentalization of age-related changes in cytolytic lymphocytes? Journal of Gerontology 49, B85–B92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boeham, U, Klamp, T, Groot, M & Howard, JC (1997) Cellular responses to interferon-γ. Annual Review of Immunology 15, 749–795.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burns, EA, Lum, LG, L’Hommedieu, G & Goodwin, JS (1993) Specific humoral immunity in the elderly: in vivo and in vitro response to vaccination. Journal of Gerontology 48, B231–B236.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1995) Pneumonia and influenza death rates-United States, 1979–1994. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 44, 535–537.Google Scholar
Cesario, TC & Yousefi, S (1992) Viral infections. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine 8, 735–743.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chandra, RK (1992) Effect of vitamin and trace-element supplementation on immune responses and infection in elderly subjects. Lancet 340, 1124–1127.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chavance, M, Herbeth, B, Fournier, C, Janot, C & Vernhes, G (1989) Vitamin status, immunity and infections in an elderly population. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 43, 827–835.Google Scholar
Cook, JM, Gualde, N, Hessel, L, Mounier, M, Michel, JP, Denis, F & Ratinaud, MH (1987) Alterations in the human immune response to the hepatitis B vaccine among the elderly. Cellular Immunology 109, 89–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Maeyer, E & De Maeyer-Guignard, J (1994) Interferons. In The Cytokine Handbook, 2nd ed., pp. 265–288 [Thomson, AW, editor]. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Delfraissy, JF, Galanaud, P, Wallon, C, Balavoine, JF & Dormont, J (1982) Abolished in vitro antibody response in elderly: exclusive involvement of prostaglandin-induced T supressor cells. Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology 24, 377–385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doherty, PC (1995) Immune responses to viruses. In Clinical Immunology – Principles and Practice, pp. 535–549 [Rich, R, Fleisher, TA, Schwartz, BD and Strober, W, editors]. St Louis, MO: Mosby.Google Scholar
Doherty, PC, Topham, DJ, Tripp, RA, Cardin, RD, Brooks, JW & Stevenson, PG (1997) Effector CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell mechanisms in the control of respiratory virus infections. Immunological Reviews 159, 105–117.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Effros, RB & Walford, RL (1983) Diminished T cell response to influenza virus in aged mice. Immunology 49, 387–392.Google ScholarPubMed
Effros, RB & Walford, RL (1987) Infection and immunity in relation to aging. In Aging and the Immune Response, pp. 45–65 [Goidl, EA, editor]. New York and Basel: Marcel Dekker Inc.Google Scholar
Ellis, RP & Vorhies, MW (1976) Effect of supplemental dietary vitamin E on the serologic response of swine to an Escherichia Coli bacterin. Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association 168, 231–232.Google Scholar
Engwerda, CR, Fox, BS & Handwerger, BS (1996) Cytokine production by T lymphocytes from young and aged mice. Journal of Immunology 156, 3621–3630.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fagiolo, U, Cossarizza, A, Scala, E, Fanales-Belasio, E, Ortolani, C, Cozzi, E, Monti, D, Franceschi, C & Paganelli, R (1993) Increased cytokine production in mononuclear cells of healthy elderly people. European Journal of Immunology 23, 2375–2378.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fang, C, Peck, MD, Alexander, JW, Babcock, GF & Warden, GD (1990) The effect of free radical scavengers on outcome after infection in burned mice. Journal of Trauma 30, 453–456.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frasca, D, Pucci, S, Goso, C, Barattini, P, Barile, S, Pioli, C & Doria, G (1997) Regulation of cytokine production in aging: use of recombinant cytokines to upregulate mitogen-stimulated spleen cells. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development 93, 157–169.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gerhard, W, Mozdzanowska, K, Furchner, M, Washko, G & Maiese, K (1997) Role of the B-cell response in recovery of mice from primary influenza virus infection. Immunological Reviews 159, 95–103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Girodon, F, Lombard, M, Galan, P, Brunet-Lecomte, P, Monget, A-L, Arnaud, J, Preziosi, P & Hercberg, S (1996) Effect of micronutrient supplementation on infection in institutionalized elderly subjects: a controlled trial. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 41, 98–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goode, HF, Cowley, HC, Walker, BE, Howdle, PD & Webster, NR (1995) Decreased antioxidant status and increased lipid peroxidation in patients with septic shock and secondary organ dysfunction. Critical Care Medicine 23, 646–651.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Graham, MB, Dalton, DK, Giltinan, D, Braciale, VL, Stewart, TA & Braciale, TJ (1993) Response to influenza infection in mice with a targeted disruption in the interferon gamma gene. Journal of Experimental Medicine 178, 1725–1732.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Greenspan, HC & Aruoma, OI (1994) Oxidative stress and apoptosis in HIV infection: a role for plant-derived metabolites with synergistic antioxidant activity. Immunology Today 15, 209–213.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Han, SN, Wu, D, Beharka, A, Smith, DE, Cao, G, Prior, R, Bender, BS, Meydani, M & Meydani, SN (1997) Effect of long-term dietary antioxidant supplementation on influenza infection. FASEB Journal 11, A614.Google Scholar
Han, SN, Wu, D, Ha, WK, Smith, DE, Beharka, A, Wang, H, Bender, BS & Meydani, SN (1998) Vitamin E supplementation increases splenocyte IL-2 and IFN-γ production of old mice infected with influenza virus. FASEB Journal 12, A819.Google Scholar
Harman, D & Miller, RW (1986) Effect of vitamin E on the immune response to influenza virus vaccine and the incidence of infectious disease in man. Age 9, 21–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayek, MG, Taylor, SF, Bender, BS, Han, SN, Meydani, M, Smith, DE, Eghtesada, S & Meydani, SN (1997) Vitamin E supplementation decreases lung virus titers in mice infected with influenza. Journal of Infectious Diseases 176, 273–276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heinzerling, RH, Nockels, CF, Quarles, CL & Tengerdy, RP (1974 a) Protection of chicks against E. coli infection by dietary supplementation with vitamin E. Proceedings of Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 146, 279–283.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heinzerling, RH, Tengerdy, RP, Wick, LL & Lueker, DC (1974 b) Vitamin E protects mice against Diplococcus pneumoniae type I infection. Infection and Immunity 10, 1292–1295.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hennet, T, Peterhans, E & Stocker, R (1992) Alterations in antioxidant defences in lung and liver of mice infected with influenza A virus. Journal of General Virology 73, 39–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kilbourne, ED (1987) Influenza in man. In Influenza, pp. 157–218 [Kilbourne, ED, editor]. New York: Plenum Medical Book Company.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leigh, MW, Carson, JL & Denny, FW Jr (1991) Pathogenesis of respiratory infections due to influenza virus: implications for developing countries. Review of Infectious Diseases 13, Suppl. 6, S501–S508.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lesourd, BM & Meaume, S (1994) Cell mediated immunity changes in ageing, relative importance of cell subpopulation switches and of nutritional factors. Immunology Letters 40, 235–242.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Likoff, RO, Guptill, DR, Lawrence, LM, Mckay, CC, Mathias, MM, Nockels, CF & Tengerdy, RP (1981) Vitamin E and aspirin depress prostaglandins in protection of chickens against Escherichia coli infection. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 34, 245–251.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McMichael, AJ, Gotch, FM, Noble, GR & Beare, PAS (1983) Cytotoxic T-cell immunity to influenza. New England Journal of Medicine 309, 13–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maeda, H & Akaike, T (1991) Oxygen free radicals as pathogenic molecules in viral diseases. Proceedings of Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 198, 721–727.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mbawuike, I, Acuna, CL, Walz, KC, Atmar, RL, Greenberg, SB & Couch, RB (1997) Cytokines and impaired CD8+ CTL activity among elderly persons and the enhancing effect of IL-12. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development 94, 25–39.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meydani, SN, Barklund, MP, Liu, S, Meydani, M, Miller, RA, Cannon, JG, Morrow, FD, Rocklin, R & Blumberg, JB (1990) Vitamin E supplementation enhances cell-mediated immunity in healthy elderly subjects. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 52, 557–563.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meydani, SN, Meydani, M, Blumberg, JB, Leka, LS, Siber, G, Loszewski, R, Thompson, C, Pedrosa, MC, Diamond, RD & Stollar, BD (1997) Vitamin E supplementation and in vivo immune response in healthy subjects. Journal of the American Medical Association 277, 1380–1386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meydani, SN, Meydani, M, Verdon, CP, Shapiro, AA, Blumberg, JB & Hayes, KC (1986) Vitamin E supplementation suppresses prostaglandin E2 synthesis and enhances the immune response of aged mice. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development 34, 191–201.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meydani, SN, Yogeeswaran, G, Liu, S, Baskar, S & Meydani, M (1988) Fish oil and tocopherol-induced changes in natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity and PGE2 synthesis in young and old mice. Journal of Nutrition 118, 1245–1252.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Miller, RA (1990) Aging and the immune response. In Handbook of the Biology of Aging, 3rd ed. pp. 157–180 [Schneider, EL and Rowe, JW, editors]. San Diego, CA: Academic Press Inc.Google Scholar
Nagel, JE, Chopra, RK, Chrest, FJ, McCoy, MT, Schneider, EL, Holbrook, NJ & Adler, WH (1988) Decreased proliferation, interleukin 2 synthesis, and interleukin 2 receptor expression are accompanied by decreased mRNA expression in phytohemagglutinin-stimulated cells from elderly donors. Journal of Clinical Investigation 81, 1096–1102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parhar, RS & Lala, PK (1988) Prostaglandin E2-mediated inactivation of various killer lineage cells by tumor-bearing host macrophages. Journal of Leukocyte Biology 44, 474–484.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pavlovic, J, Haller, O & Staeheli, P (1992) Human and mouse Mx proteins inhibit different steps of the influenza virus multiplication cycle. Journal of Virology 66, 2564–2569.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Peterhans, E (1994) Oxidants and antioxidants in viral diseases: metabolic regulation and autotoxicity. In Natural Antioxidants in Human Health and Disease, pp. 489–514 [Frei, B, editor]. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Pinner, RW, Teutsch, SM, Simonsen, L, Klug, LA, Graber, JM, Clarke, MJ & Berkelman, RL (1996) Trends in infectious diseases mortality in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association 275, 189–193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reddy, PG, Morrill, JL, Minocha, HC, Morrill, MB, Dayton, AD & Frey, RA (1985) Effect of supplemental vitamin E on the immune system of calves. Journal of Dairy Science 69, 164–171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rouse, BT & Horohov, DW (1986) Immunosuppression in viral infections. Review of Infectious Diseases 8, 850–873.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ruben, FL, Dearwater, SR, Norden, CW, Kuller, LH, Garter, K, Shalley, A, Warshafsky, G, Kelsey, SF, O’Donnell, C, Means, E, Amoroso, W & Bochicchio, G (1995) Clinical infections in the noninstitutionalized geriatric age group: Methods utilized and incidence of infections. American Journal of Epidemiology 141, 145–157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Samuel, CE (1991) Antiviral actions of interferon, interferon-regulated cellular proteins and their surprisingly selective antiviral activities. Virology 183, 1–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sarawar, SR, Sangster, M, Coffman, RL & Doherty, PC (1994) Administration of anti-IFN-γ antibody to β2-microglobulin-deficient mice delays influenza virus clearance but does not switch the response to a T helper cell 2 phenotype. Journal of Immunology 153, 1246–1253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schildknecht, EG & Squibb, RL (1979) The effect of vitamins A, E, and K on experimentally induced histomoniasis in turkeys. Parasitology 78, 19–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sindermann, J, Kruse, A, Frercks, H-J, Schutz, RM & Kirchner, H (1993) Investigation of the lymphokine system in elderly individuals. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development 70, 149–159.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, KL, Harrison, JH, Hancock, DD, Todhunter, DA & Conrad, HR (1984) Effect of vitamin E and selenium supplementation on incidence of clinical mastitis and duration of clinical symptoms. Journal of Dairy Science 67, 1293–1300.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stein-Streilen, J, Bennett, M, Mann, D & Kumar, V (1983) Natural killer cells in mouse lung: surface phenotype, target preference, and response to local influenza virus infection. Journal of Immunology 131, 2699–2704.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stein-Streilein, J & Guffee, J (1986) In vivo treatment of mice and hamsters with antibodies to ASIALO GM1 increases morbidity and mortality to pulmonary influenza infection. Journal of Immunology 136, 1435–1441.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stephens, LC, McChesney, AE & Nockels, CF (1979) Improved recovery of vitamin E-treated lambs that have been experimentally infected with intratracheal cylamydia. British Veterinary Journal 135, 291–293.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sweet, C, & Smith, H (1980) Pathogenicity of influenza virus. Microbiology Review 44, 303–330.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tada, T (1992) Nutrition and the immune system in aging: An overview. Nutrition Review 50, 350.Google ScholarPubMed
Tashiro, M, Ciborowski, P, Klenk, H-D, Pulverer, G & Rott, R (1987) Role of Staphylococcus protease in the development of influenza pneumonia. Nature 325, 536–537.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Teige, J, Tollersrud, S, Lund, A & Larsen, HJ (1982) Swine dysentery: the influence of dietary vitamin E and selenium on the clinical and pathological effects of Treponema hyodysenteriae infection in pigs. Research in Veterinary Science 32, 95–100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tengerdy, RP, Meyer, DL, Lauerman, LH, Lueker, DC & Nockels, CF (1983) Vitamin E-enhanced humoral antibody response to Clostridium perfringens type D in sheep. British Veterinary Journal 139, 147–152.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tengerdy, RP & Nockels, CF (1975) Vitamin E or vitamin A protects chickens against E. coli infection. Poultry Science 54, 1292–1296.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Topham, DJ, Tripp, RA, Hamilton-Easton, AM, Sarawar, SR & Doherty, PC (1996) Quantitative analysis of the influenza virus-specific CD4+ T cell memory in the absence of B cells and Ig. Journal of Immunology 157, 2947–2952.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tvedten, HW, Whitehair, CK & Langham, RF (1973) Influence of vitamins A and E on gnotobiotic and conventionally maintained rats exposed to Mycoplasma pulmonis. Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association 163, 605–612.Google Scholar
Wang, Y, Huang, DS, Eskelson, CD & Watson, RR (1994) Long-term dietary vitamin E retards development of retrovirus-induced dysregulation in cytokine production. Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology 72, 70–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, Y, Huang, DS, Liang, B & Watson, RR (1994) Nutritional status and immune responses in mice with murine AIDS are normalized by vitamin E supplementation. Journal of Nutrition 124, 2024–2032.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Watson, RR & Petro, TM (1982) Cellular immune responses, corticosteroid levels, and resistance to Listeria monocytogenes and murine leukemia in mice fed a high vitamin E diet. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 393, 205–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, D, Mura, C, Beharka, AA, Han, SN, Paulson, KE, Hwang, D & Meydani, SN (1998) Age-associated increase in PGE2 synthesis and COX activity in murine macrophages is reversed by vitamin E. American Journal of Physiology 275, C661–C668.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wyde, PR, Six, HR, Ambrose, MW & Throop, BJ (1989) Influenza virus infection and bacterial clearance in young adult and aged mice. Journal of Gerontology 44, B118–B124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed