Jyonouchi H, Hill R J, Tomita Y, Good R A
Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida/All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg 33701.
Nutr Cancer. 1991;16(2):93-105. doi: 10.1080/01635589109514148.
The immunomodulating effects of carotenoids (beta-carotene and astaxanthin) on mouse lymphocytes were studied in in vitro culture system by use of assay for mitogen responses of spleen cells, thymocyte proliferation, interleukin 2 production, and antibody (Ab) production in vitro in response to sheep red blood cells. Changes of cell surface markers on spleen lymphocytes including Ia antigen (Ag), surface immunoglobulin, B220, and Thy-1 Ag were also examined. At a concentration of 10(-8) M, carotenoids did not show any significant effect on mitogen responses (phytohemagglutinin P and concanavalin A) on murine spleen cells, irrespective of the concentrations of mitogens used. Interleukin 2 production by murine spleen cells was not significantly altered by carotenoids in the culture media (10(-7) to 10(-9) M). [3H]thymidine incorporation by B6 thymocytes was somewhat enhanced in the presence of astaxanthin or beta-carotene when cultured in the concentration of 10(6)/ml. At higher concentrations of cells (5 x 10(6)/ml), such an effect was not observed. In assays of in vitro Ab production in response to sheep red blood cells, B6 spleen cells produced significantly more Ab-forming cells (plaque-forming cells, immunoglobulins M and G) in the presence of astaxanthin (greater than 10(-8) M) but not beta-carotene. Expression of Ia Ag seemed to be moderately enhanced on both Thy-1+ and Thy-1- spleen cells in the presence of astaxanthin (greater than 10(-9) M) but not beta-carotene. The expression of Thy-1 and surface immunoglobulin seemed unchanged with the treatment of these carotenoids. These results indicate that immunomodulating actions of carotenoids are not necessarily related to provitamin A activity, because astaxanthin, which does not have provitamin A activity, showed more significant effects in these bioassays and also indicate that such actions of carotenoid demonstrated in this study may be difficult to explain only by its oxygen-quenching capacity.
通过使用脾细胞有丝分裂原反应测定、胸腺细胞增殖、白细胞介素2产生以及体外针对绵羊红细胞产生抗体（Ab）的实验，在体外培养系统中研究了类胡萝卜素（β-胡萝卜素和虾青素）对小鼠淋巴细胞的免疫调节作用。还检测了脾淋巴细胞表面标志物的变化，包括Ia抗原（Ag）、表面免疫球蛋白、B220和Thy-1 Ag。在浓度为(10^{-8})M时，无论所用有丝分裂原的浓度如何，类胡萝卜素对小鼠脾细胞的有丝分裂原反应（植物血凝素P和刀豆球蛋白A）均未显示出任何显著影响。培养基中类胡萝卜素（(10^{-7})至(10^{-9})M）对小鼠脾细胞产生白细胞介素2没有显著改变。当以(10^6/ml)的浓度培养时，在虾青素或β-胡萝卜素存在的情况下，B6胸腺细胞的[3H]胸腺嘧啶核苷掺入有所增强。在细胞浓度较高（(5×10^6/ml)）时，未观察到这种效应。在针对绵羊红细胞的体外Ab产生实验中，在虾青素（大于(10^{-8})M）而非β-胡萝卜素存在的情况下，B6脾细胞产生了显著更多的Ab形成细胞（空斑形成细胞、免疫球蛋白M和G）。在虾青素（大于(10^{-9})M）而非β-胡萝卜素存在的情况下，Ia Ag在Thy-1 +和Thy-1 -脾细胞上的表达似乎适度增强。这些类胡萝卜素处理后，Thy-1和表面免疫球蛋白的表达似乎未发生变化。这些结果表明，类胡萝卜素的免疫调节作用不一定与维生素A原活性相关，因为不具有维生素A原活性的虾青素在这些生物测定中显示出更显著的效果，并且还表明本研究中类胡萝卜素的这种作用可能难以仅通过其氧猝灭能力来解释。
