Modulation of cytokine secretion by mesenteric lymph node cells from vitamin A-deficient mice during Hymenolepis nana infection.

The influence of vitamin A deficiency on the development of cellular immune responses was examined using vitamin A-deficient mice (A mice)/Hymenolepis nana system. Mesenteric lymph node cells (MLNC) prepared from both normal BALB/c mice and A mice during H. nana infection proliferated extensively when cultured with soluble egg antigen of H. nana as assessed by 3H-thymidine incorporation. MLNC from normal mice secreted significantly more IL-2 and significantly less IFN-gamma than A mice when the cells were cultured in the presence of soluble egg antigen.