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Retinyl Palmitate Supplementation Modulates T-bet and Interferon Gamma Gene Expression in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

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Abstract

Vitamin A derivatives such as retinoic acid may improve the impaired balance of CD4+ T cells in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. This study is a double-blind randomized trial to evaluate the effect of vitamin A (as form of retinyl palmitate) supplementation on multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Thirty-nine patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to two groups. Both groups were followed for 6 months. The experimental group received 25,000 IU of retinyl palmitate daily, while the control group received a placebo. Before and after the study, the expression of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and T-bet genes was evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients by RT-PCR. The results showed that after 6 months of supplementation, expression of IFN-γ and T-bet was significantly decreased. These data suggest that retinyl palmitate supplementation can modulate the impaired balance of Th1 and Th2 cells and vitamin A products that may be involved in the therapeutic mechanism of vitamin A in MS patients. This study provides information regarding the decreased gene expression of IFN-γ and T-bet in MS by retinyl palmitate supplementation.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by health services grants including the School of Nutritional Science and Dietetics and the Iranian Center for Neurological Research (ID: 10033). It was registered according to the appropriate clinical trial registration system (NCT01225289).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cellular and Molecular Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Niyaz Mohammadzadeh Honarvar, Mina Abdolahi, Elahe Abedi, Fariba Koohdani, Reza Chahardoli, Mahnaz Zareei, Maziyar Geranmehr & Ali Akbar Saboor-Yaraghi

  2. Iranian Center of Neurological Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Hossein Harirchian & Mohammad Ali Sahraian

  3. Iranian Center of Neurological Research, Department of Neurology, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Sama Bitarafan

  4. Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Feridoun Siassi

  5. Immunology Department, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Eisa Salehi

  6. Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Ali Akbar Saboor-Yaraghi

Authors
  1. Niyaz Mohammadzadeh Honarvar
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  2. Mohammad Hossein Harirchian
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  3. Mina Abdolahi
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  4. Elahe Abedi
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  5. Sama Bitarafan
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  6. Fariba Koohdani
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  7. Feridoun Siassi
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  8. Mohammad Ali Sahraian
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  9. Reza Chahardoli
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  10. Mahnaz Zareei
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  11. Eisa Salehi
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  12. Maziyar Geranmehr
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  13. Ali Akbar Saboor-Yaraghi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ali Akbar Saboor-Yaraghi.

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Mohammadzadeh Honarvar, N., Harirchian, M.H., Abdolahi, M. et al. Retinyl Palmitate Supplementation Modulates T-bet and Interferon Gamma Gene Expression in Multiple Sclerosis Patients. J Mol Neurosci 59, 360–365 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-016-0747-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-016-0747-2

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