Retinoid effects on murine immune responses.

Abstract

There is considerable literature concerning the immunomodulatory effects of vitamin A acetate and other retinoids, but several aspects of these effects remain poorly understood. An example of this is the well-known enlargement of lymphanedullary organs seen in animals fed on either vitamin A acetate (VAA) or 13-cis retinoic acid (CRA) enriched diets (Hunt et al, 1983). Amongst the questions raised by this observation are queries about the cellular nature of the enlargement, whether the enlargement is generalised or is associated with shifts in cell phenotype within the tissues; and what the functional significance of the increased peripheral lymphomedullary pool may be in relationship to the overall host immune response.