ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In recent years, new physiological functions of vitamin A have been identified, including its role in immune defense. The antioxidant potential of carotenoids is thought to account for their health benefits. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration changes in the provitamin-A (alpha- and-beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin) and of the non-provitamin-A carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene) in children with acute infections. METHODS: Serum retinol and carotenoid concentrations were measured by HPLC in 45 children suffering from acute infections and in 29 healthy controls. In addition 15 healthy children collected food samples over 2 days. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured by turbidimetry. RESULTS: Serum levels of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and retinol and non-provitamin-A carotenoid lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations were significantly lower in children with infections compared to healthy controls. There were significant negative correlations between CRP levels and serum beta-carotene and retinol concentrations. The average intake of retinol equivalents was 1.1 +/- 0.6 mg/day. CONCLUSION: Serum retinol and provitamin-A as well as non-provitamin-A carotenoid concentrations were lower in children with acute phase infections compared to healthy controls. The inverse correlations between CRP and beta-carotene or retinol indicate either decreased synthesis or increased utilization of these antioxidants.
Subject(s)
Antioxidants/metabolism , C-Reactive Protein/analysis , Carotenoids/blood , Infections/blood , Vitamin A/blood , beta Carotene/analogs & derivatives , Adolescent , Case-Control Studies , Child , Child, Preschool , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods , Cryptoxanthins , Female , Humans , Lutein/blood , Lycopene , Male , Xanthophylls , Zeaxanthins , beta Carotene/bloodABSTRACT
Selenium (Se) in plasma, whole blood and erythrocytes as well as glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in plasma and erythrocytes were investigated in 161 healthy Hungarian children aged 1-15 years. Se was determined by AAS with hydride generation. The estimation of GSH-Px activity was performed in plasma with tertbutyl-hydroperoxide (t-BOOH) and in erythrocytes with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as acceptor substrates. The Se content in plasma (0.63 +/- 0.12 mumol/L), whole blood (0.81 +/- 0.14 mumol/L) and erythrocytes (1.14 +/- 0.26 mumol/L, the GSH-Px activity in plasma (87 +/- 19 U/L) and erythrocytes (5.93 +/- 1.04 U/gHb) was low in Hungarian children in comparison to values for children from other European countries. Samples from a rural area in southeast Hungary showed even lower Se content than samples from an industrial city in the northwest or from the capital. The Se in plasma and whole blood as well as GSH-Px activity in the plasma exhibited a clear age dependency. There was a good correlation between plasma Se and GSH-Px activity in all children (r = 0.633, p < 0.001). In addition, in children from the northwestern city and from the capital a correlation was found between Se content and GSH-Px activity of erythrocytes (r = 0.625, p < 0.001). There is no indication that the high mortality in young Hungarian adults from cardiovascular diseases is mainly caused by a low Se supply because there are no corresponding findings in the surrounding countries of southeastern or central eastern Europe with similar low Se states.
