Vitamin E supplementation with interferon-gamma administration retards immune dysfunction during murine retrovirus infection.

Murine retrovirus infection induces loss of vitamin E and immune dysfunction with loss of cytokine production by T-helper cells. Therefore interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) was given during dietary vitamin E supplementation to effectively prevent murine retrovirus-induced immunosuppression, cytokine dysregulation, and development of murine AIDS. Administration of IFN-gamma during vitamin E supplementation significantly prevented development of retrovirus-induced suppression of splenic natural killer cell activity and T cell proliferation. It also significantly slowed retrovirus-induced elevation of T helper (Th) 2 cytokine [interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, and IL-10] production and monokine (IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) secretion by splenocytes. The treatment also prevented loss of Th1 cytokine (IL-2 and IFN-gamma) secretion by splenocytes from retrovirus-infected mice alleviating splenomegaly and hypergammaglobulinemia. The combined therapy had an additive therapeutic impact. It was more effective than IFN-gamma treatment or vitamin E supplementation alone in delaying the development of retrovirus-induced immunosuppression with its cytokine dysregulation.