Nutrients for Immunity

Ms Fatima Kader
Asst. Professor
Dept. Foods, Nutrition & Dietetics
Nirmala Niketan, College of Home Science
 Immunity
Immunity is the balanced state of having
adequate biological defences to fight infection,
disease, or other unwanted biological invasion,
while having adequate tolerance to avoid
inflammation, allergy, and autoimmune
diseases.
 Innate immunity/ Nonspecific immunity
• Natural resistances with which a person is born.
• Provides resistances through several physical, chemical and
cellular approaches.
• Microbes first encounter the epithelial layers (skin and mucous
membranes) that act as physical barriers.
• Subsequent general defences include secreted chemical signals
(cytokines), antimicrobial substances, fever and phagocytic
activity associated with the inflammatory responses.
• Through these approaches, innate immunity can prevent the
colonization, entry and spread of microbes.
 Adaptive/ Non-specific immunity
• It is often sub-divided into two major types
depending on how the immunity was introduced.
• 'Naturally acquired immunity' occurs through
contact with a disease causing agent, when the
contact was not deliberate.
• 'artificially acquired immunity' develops only
through deliberate actions such as vaccination
 Surface Defence of the Host
1. Skin: it is an external covering of the body which serves as a
protective barrier to the entry of infective agents. It is mildly acidic
due to presence of fatty acids and provide an antimicrobial effect.
2. Respiratory tract: nasal mucosa, cilia, lysozyme and lactoferrin
3. Alimentary Tract: antimicrobial effect of lysozyme and
lactoferrin in saliva, HCl, mucosal lining.
4. Urogenital Tract: urine has a bactericidal effect, the pH of the
urine, urea and other solutes in it have an antimicrobial effect.
• The innate immune system and the adaptive or
acquired immune system each comprise both
I. Humoral Immunity
II. cell-mediated Immunity.
 Humoral Immunity
Humoral immunity is mediated by macromolecules
(as opposed to cell-mediated immunity) found in
extracellular fluids such as secreted antibodies,
complement proteins and certain antimicrobial
peptides.
Humoral immunity is so named because it involves
substances found in the humours, or body fluids.
• Transformation of B-cells into plasma cells that can
then produce and secrete antibodies
B-cells
created in the bone marrow
circulate through blood and lymph
changes into a clone of plasma cells to secret a specific
antibody
Also can change into a clone of memory cells to make
antibodies after first encounters
 another way to show the
antibody molecule...

http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/hab/habs_toxins/marine_biotoxins/detection/elisa.html
 • B cells make antibodies
• each B cell makes ONE
type of antibody
• but it makes a lot of them
B cell • it sticks those Ab on its
surface, with the “red”
end facing out
• if any “red” antigen
comes around, it will be
“caught” by the surface
Ab
 this is a B cell which
produces “red” Ab

B cell

here’s an even simpler diagram showing a B cell with

“red” antibodies
 • if any “red” antigen comes
around, it will be “caught” by
the surface Ab
• NO OTHER antigen will be
caught
B cell
• plasma cell also replicates
• All daughter cells also pump
out “red” antibody
 Cell mediated Immunity
Definition: Cell-mediated immunity is an
immune response that does not involve
antibodies, but rather involves the activation
of phagocytes, antigen-specific cytotoxic T-
lymphocytes, and the release of various
cytokines in response to an antigen.
Cellular immunity protects the body by:

1. Activating antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes that are

able to induce apoptosis in body cells displaying presence of
foreign antigen on their surface e.g. virus-infected cells, cells
with intracellular bacteria, and cancer cells displaying tumor
antigens.
2. Activating macrophages and natural killer cells, enabling
them to destroy pathogens.
3. Stimulating cells to secrete a variety of cytokines that
influence the function of other cells involved in adaptive
immune responses and innate immunity
 Stem Cell

Lymphoid Stem Cell Myeloid Progenitor

B Cell T Cell Natural Neutrophil Eosinophil Monocytes

Killer

Cytotoxic Helper Suppressor Basophil Mast Cell

Plasma
Cell Memory B
cells
 Immune System “Players”: Major Cells
• Stem Cell: an undifferentiated cell whose daughter cells may
differentiate into two different cells
• Lymphoid Stem Cell: white blood cell (WBC) of the immune
system that is part of the lymph system
• Myeloid Progenitor: makes platelets, red blood cells and some
WBCs
 T Cell in Action
Cytotoxic T Cell (orange) killing a cancer cell (purple).
 Phagocytosis
• Phagocytes engulf infecting micro-organisms.
• Phagocytosis: When the phagocytic cells get to the
invaders, they go through the process of phagocytosis to
finally eliminate the bacteria
 Vitamins and immunity
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

• Vitamin B6 is involved in lipid metabolism, nucleic acid and

protein biosynthesis.
• Vitamin B6 deficiency impairs lymphocyte maturation, growth
and proliferation, and antibody production.
• Humoral and cell mediated immunity are affected by vitamin
B6 deficiency and supradietary intakes
 Vitamin B12
• Vitamin B12: It has been reported that vit.B12 deficiency caused
suppression of protective immune responses to viruses and
bacteria in an animal model.
• A reduction in bactericidal activity in patients with
megaloblastic anemia and low serum vitamin B12 was
observed in another study.
• Neutropenia and leukopenia related white blood cells
abnormalities in children with low vitamin B 12 is observed.
 Folic Acid & Biotin
• Individuals with low folate levels have impairments in
neutrophil function
• Biotin is a coenzyme for several enzymes that catalyze
carboxylation reaction.
• Carboxylase deficiency is associated with lymphocyte
mediated suppressor activity which can be corrected by
10 mg/day biotin
 Vitamin C
• Vitamin C deficiencies are found to be associated with
decreases in the bactericidal activity and locomotion of
neutrophils and macrophages and decreases in
resistance to microbial infection (Chandra, 2004).
• A study by Ziemlanski et al. (1986) noted significant
increases in serum IgG and IgM levels in elderly woman
receiving 400 mg ascorbic acid /day.
 Beta carotene
• β- Carotene (provitamin A) can protect phagocytic cells
from autooxidative damage, enhance T and B
lymphocyte proliferative responses, promote the
production of cytokines and increase macrophage,
cytotoxic T cell and natural killer cell tumoricidal
capacity (Bendich, 1991).
 Vitamin A
• Maintains epithelial integrity and function, lymphoid mass, and
specific and non specific immunity of host.
• Vitamin A deficiencies have an important influence on the
immune response in human.
• HIV infected pregnant woman should eat food rich in vitamin A,
while maternal vitamin A deficiency increases the risk of
congenital HIV and AIDS (Cunningham-Rundles et al., 2002).
• Besides, Vitamin A supplementation significantly reduces all-cause
of mortality when given between 6–59 months (WHO, 2011).
 Vitamin D
• 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 has been recognized as an
immunoregulatory hormone.
• As vitamin D receptor is expressed on immune cells (B cells, T cells
and antigen presenting cells), it has the capability of acting in an
autocrine manner in a local immunologic milieu and can modulate
the innate and adaptive immune responses.
• vitamin D plays an important role in pulmonary resistance and its
deficiency has been linked to various respiratory infections.
• Vitamin D3 may protect against adipose tissue inflammation
(obesity & Type II Diabetes Mellitus)
 Vitamin E
• Supplementation with antioxidant vitamins especially
with vitamin E has been associated with an
enhancement of immune function.
• Vitamin E could decrease the production of
immunosuppressive factors such as prostaglandin E2
(PGE2) and hydrogen peroxide by activated,
macrophages. PGE2 and H2O2 depresses lymphocyte
proliferation
 Minerals and immunity
• Selenium (Se) via its incorporation into cytosolic glutathione peroxidase
(GSHPx) and biomembranes has been associated with the expression of
specific, non specific and cell mediated immune response
• Selenium supplements increased production of IFγ and other cytokines, T cell
proliferation, and increase in T helper cells.
• Selenium supplemented subjects showed more rapid clearance of the
poliovirus (Broome et al., 2004).
• Se protects the cardiac muscle from invasion by pathogens.
• Se deficient mice were more susceptible to infections by coxsackievirus as well
as influenza virus (Beck, 2001).
• Moreover Se decreases the possibilities of AIDS virus infection.
 Zinc
• Zinc plays a catalytic, structural and regulatory role for enzymes, proteins
and transcription factors and is thus a key trace element in immune
responses.
• Dietary zinc supplementation has been shown to enhance immune response
in elderly.
• Moreover, zinc increases the secretion of IL-I and affects the humoral
immune response.
• Zinc has antagonizes the detrimental effects of toxic dietary metals, such as
nickel, on the immune response.
• Copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD), metalloenzyme is directly involved
in immunity and antioxidant defences.
• In addition, thymulin a key thymic factor is zinc dependent.
 Iron
• Iron salts have been reported to enhance the immunity.
• Iron in metalloenzymes or proteins participates directly
in immunity such as iron catalase and lactoferrin.
• Iron supplementation in population with high incidence
of iron deficiency anemia has been shown to decrease
the morbidity from infections and diarrheal diseases
 Copper

• Copper is an important metal in regulating the activity

of certain metalloenzyme as superoxide dismutase and
has an important role in immunity.
 Nutraceuticals and immunity
• Probiotics have beneficial effects on intestinal
immunity, prevention of infection, elimination of
toxins and eradication of microbial pathogens
• Probiotic bacteria increases macrophage
phagocytosis and natural killer cell activity and
numbers.
 Prebiotics
• Prebiotics are non digestable food stuffs such as fiber and
oligosaccharides which enter the colon and are metabolized by
probiotics.
• Administration of galactooligosaccharides to healthy elderly
persons results in an increase in the numbers of beneficial
bacteria, especially bifidobacteria, increases in phagocytosis, NK
cell activity, the production of antiinflammatory cytokine
interleukin-10 (IL-10) and reduction in the production of
proinflammatory cytokines.
• Reduces the severity and duration of infective diarrhea
• Dietary supplement providing lactobacillus and
fructooligosaccharides among other nutrients to
healthy elderly vaccinated against influenza and
pneumococcus increased the activity of natural
killer cells and the production of IL-2.
 Fish oil supplementation
• Fish oil supplementation in healthy adults suppressed
the synthesis of the proinflammatory mediators IL-l and
TNF.
• Decreased inflammatory responses in patients
receiving n-3 PUFA and lower incidence of inflammatory
diseases such as asthma and type I diabetes in
population.
• Administration of increasing doses of n-3 fatty acids
improves cell mediated immune function
Thank you