EFFCTS OF IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA ON IMMUNE FUNCTION IN RATS AND MICE / 营养学报

ABSTRACT

Weanling rats and mice were fed on an iron-deficient diet. By the end of the 4th week, the rats were sacrificed for the determination of immune function and the mice were infected with S. typhimurium. The rate of peripheral blood lymphocytes transformation, total serum complement activity (CH50) and splenic tissue cAMP levels in the iron-deficient rats were 26.3? 5.86%, 58.39?14.79u/ml and 0.93?0.48 pmol/mg respectively, but that in the controls were 38.3?4.61%, 75.17?19.51u/ml and 2.69?1.17pmol/mg respectively. The former were significantly lower than the latter. The serum hemolysin (HC50) and serum lysozyme in the iron-deficient rats were 330.62 ?21.90 and 29.50 ?16.85ug/ml respectively; and that in the controls were 353.24?29.77 and 30.08?10.39ug/ml respectively. The differences between these two groups were not significant. Gross histological changes were found in the spleen of the iron-deficient rats, but no changes in the thymus. After the intraperitoneal injection of S. typhimurium, the mortality of iron-deficient mice were significantly higher than the controls.