Vitamin C Is an Essential Factor on the Anti-viral Immune Responses through the Production of Interferon-alpha/beta at the Initial Stage of Influenza A Virus (H3N2) Infection.
- Author:
Yejin KIM
1
;
Hyemin KIM
;
Seyeon BAE
;
Jiwon CHOI
;
Sun Young LIM
;
Naeun LEE
;
Joo Myung KONG
;
Young Il HWANG
;
Jae Seung KANG
;
Wang Jae LEE
Author Information
- Publication Type:Brief Communication
- Keywords: Vitamin C; Anti-viral immune response; Influenza A virus; Gulo (-/-) mice
- MeSH: Animals; Ascorbic Acid; Cytokines; Humans; Influenza A virus; Influenza, Human; Interferons; Interleukins; Lung; Mice; Mustelidae; Orthomyxoviridae; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Vitamins
- From:Immune Network 2013;13(2):70-74
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is one of the well-known anti-viral agents, especially to influenza virus. Since the in vivo anti-viral effect is still controversial, we investigated whether vitamin C could regulate influenza virus infection in vivo by using Gulo (-/-) mice, which cannot synthesize vitamin C like humans. First, we found that vitamin C-insufficient Gulo (-/-) mice expired within 1 week after intranasal inoculation of influenza virus (H3N2/Hongkong). Viral titers in the lung of vitamin C-insufficient Gulo (-/-) mice were definitely increased but production of anti-viral cytokine, interferon (IFN)-alpha/beta, was decreased. On the contrary, the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the lung and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-alpha/beta, were increased in the lung. Taken together, vitamin C shows in vivo anti-viral immune responses at the early time of infection, especially against influenza virus, through increased production of IFN-alpha/beta.
