ABSTRACT
The influence of individual vitamin on immunity has been described before. In this report, the comprehensive effect of vitamin A, E, riboflavin, pyridoxine and folic acid on the immune response was studied in the BALB/C mice. Animals were divided into five groups:control group, one-third requirement group, double requirement group, triple requirement group and restored group (feeding insufficient diet for six weeks, and then normal diet for another two weeks). The results showed that the percentages of the peripheral blood T cell, Tu cell were diminished significantly in the deficient group in comparison to controls, on the contrast, those in double and triple requirement groups increased obviously, and also did the restored group supplemented normally but no difference in the percentage of Ty in all groups. The study also showed a positive correlation between the relative, absolute thymic weight and the percentage of the peripheral blood T cell. The changes stated above of the peripheral blood T cell and its sub-populations are partially owing to the abnormality of the thymic tissue, but the distribution of lymphocyte shouldn't be neglected. The study found the plaque forming cells (PFC) of spleen, aud the ratio of 3H-thymidine incorporating into splenic lymphocyte after exposure to ConA, PHA and LPS in vitro were increased significantly in double and triple requirement groups; but with the vitamin complex under supply, the former was requced significantly, the latter was comparable to the controls. The PFC increased markedly and no difference with the double group after insufficient animals fed normal diet for two weeks. It is therefore not surprising that the vitamin complex plays a special role in the differentiation and maturation of PFC. According to the study, the vitamin complex may influence the growth of lymphoid tissue, the differentiation and maturation of immunocompetent cells and functional manifestation by mainly affecting the contents of cAMP, cGMP of lymphocyte, and the metabolism of nucleic acid and protein.
ABSTRACT
A simple hypobaric unit was used to study the effect of yeast and ascorbic acid on enhancing the endurance of acute hypoxia in 86 rats. The animals were divided into 2 groups; an observed group on a diet containing 3% of yeast and 0.1% of ascorbic acid, and a control group on basal diet. All the animals were subjected to a simulated altitude of 10,000 to 12,000 m simultaneously. It was found that the survival rate of the observed group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p