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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Dietary Prevention of Obesity-related Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #79314
Title: DIETARY BORON INCREASES SERUM ANTIBODY (IGG AND IGM) CONCENTRATIONS IN RATSIMMUNIZED WITH HUMAN TYPHOID VACCINE

Author
item Bai, Yisheng
item Hunt, Curtiss
item Newman Jr, Samuel

Submitted to: North Dakota Academy of Science Proceedings
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: We found earlier that adding normal amounts of boron to a diet very low in boron increased antibody (substances that combat foreign substances in the body) concentrations in rats and chickens injected with antibody-inducing agents. This study was designed to see whether this response was true in rats injected with human typhoid vaccine. Weanling male rats were fed a low-boron diet (containing ~0.15 ppm) supplemented with 0 or 1.75 ppm (10 rats per treatment) for 44 days. At day 14 of the study, rats were injected with the typhoid vaccine. Immediately before, and at 1, 6, 10, 20, and 30 days after injection, blood was collected from the rat. An additional 10 rats were fed the low-boron diet and not injected, but treated the same way as the injected rats. Blood antibody (two forms: G and M) concentrations were determined. Typhoid-injected rats produced antibody (M form) 6 days after injection with the antibody concentrations declining slowly thereafter. Blood antibody (G form) concentrations increased 20 days after injection and continued to increase 30 days after injection. Rats fed boron exhibited higher blood antibody (both M and G forms) concentrations, compared to those fed the low-boron diet, at 30 days after injection. These observations are consistent with our previous reports that added boron increased blood antibody concentrations in rats and chickens injected with antibody-inducing antigens. These findings suggest that boron is involved in the immune response and imply that lack of boron may diminish immune function.

Technical Abstract: We previously reported that supplemental dietary boron (SDB) added to a boron-low diet increased immune responses in rats and chickens vaccinated with different antigens.This study investigated the effects of dietary boron on serum antibody concentrations in rats vaccinated with human typhoid vaccine. Weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a boron-low diet (~ 0.15 mg boron/kg) supplemented with 0 or 1.75 mg boron/kg (10 rats/treatment) for 44 d. Rats were vaccinated (s.c.) at d 14 of the experiment. An additional 10 rats were fed the basal diet but not vaccinated; they served as sham controls. Immediately before, and at 1, 6, 10,20,and 30 d following vaccination, blood was drawn from the tail artery of rats anaesthetized with ether. Serum was collected and analyzed for serum anti-typhoid antibody (IgM and IgG) concentrations, determined by using an established ELISA method. Typhoid vaccinated rats produced anti-typhoid antibody (IgM) 6 d after vaccination with serum antibody concentrations declining slowly thereafter. Serum anti-typhoid antibody (IgM) were higher in boron-supplemented than boron-low rats at 30 d after vaccination (P < 0.05).Serum anti-typhoid antibody (IgG) concentrations increased 20 d,and rose further 30 d, after vaccination. Serum anti-typhoid antibody (IgG) concentrations were higher in boron supplemented than boron-low rats at 30 d after vaccination (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that dietary boron, at concentrations similar to the daily boron intake of humans consuming typical western diets, influences the immune response in a positive manner and imply that low boron status may diminish immune function.