• Harumi Jyonouchi, Sining Sun, Timothy Winship, and Matthew J Kuchan.
• Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. jyonouRa@umdnj.edu
• Nutrition. 2003 Jan 1; 19 (1): 41-6.

ObjectivesWe assessed the mechanisms of ribonucleotide action on type 1 T-helper cell (Th1) responses against ovalbumin (OVA) in Th2-biased BALB/cJ mice.MethodsMice were fed a ribonucleotide-free or ribonucleotide-supplemented diet and given OVA subcutaneously with incomplete Freund's adjuvant at 3 and 6 wk. Costimulatory molecule expression (CD86 and CD154), the state of naive versus effecter/memory Th cells, and the frequency of OVA-specific resting versus activated Th1/Th2 cells were accessed in cells from the regional draining lymph nodes. OVA challenge increased CD86, but not CD154, expression. Effector/memory stage Th/cytotoxic T cells increased after the first and second OVA challenges.ResultsDietary ribonucleotides did not affect the expression of any of these cell surface molecules. Antigen-specific Th1 and Th2 cells increased 10 d after the first OVA dose and 5 d after the second OVA dose. Further, dietary ribonucleotides increased OVA-specific resting and activated Th1 cells 10 d after the first OVA dose and decreased OVA-specific resting Th2 cells 5 d after the second OVA dose.ConclusionsDietary ribonucleotides may attenuate skewed Th2 responses by augmenting clonal expansion of OVA-specific Th1 cells, suppressing expansion of OVA-specific Th2 cells in Th2-biased BLAB/cJ mice, and not affecting antigen non-specific cell surface markers.

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