Low serum β-carotene reflects immune activation in patients with coronary artery disease
Abstract
Background and aim Low serum levels of antioxidant vitamins are associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). An immunomodulatory effect of antioxidants has been proposed. The aim of the study was to investigate whether an increased immune response in CAD patients was associated with suppressed circulating levels of antioxidant vitamins.Methods and results Forty-four men with stable angina and angiographically verified CAD were included as well as 69 healthy controls. T cell subsets in peripheral blood were quantified by 3-colour flow cytometry. C-reactive protein (CRP), soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) and the lipophilic antioxidants alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene and lycopene were determined in serum. Compared with controls, patients had signs of an enhanced inflammatory activity assessed by significantly increased levels of CRP, sIL-2R and CD4+CD25+T cell subsets. Patients also had significantly lower beta-carotene and lycopene levels whereas a-tocopherol levels did not differ. The increased inflammatory/immune parameters in patients showed a significant inverse relationship to serum beta-carotene but not to lycopene or alpha-tocopherol.Conclusions Low serum beta-carotene in CAD patients reflects activation of the immune system. Inflammation should be considered as an important confounding factor when analysing data on beta-carotene and CAD.
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Intake of soya either high or low in isoflavones for one, two or four months had no effect on CRP, SAA or TNF-α concentrations in hypercholesterolaemic men or postmenopausal women.
“The intake of soya either high or low in isoflavones for 1, 2 or 4 months had also no effect on CRP, SAA or TNF-a concentrations in hypercholesterolaemic men or in postmenopausal women (356,359,362) .”
From Dietary factors and low-grade inflammation in relation to overweight and obesity (2011) · cites this paper as [362]
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- Authors
- JONASSON, L., WIKBY, A., & OLSSON, A.
- Affiliations
- Linköping University Hospital (SE)
- Jönköping University (SE)
- Linköping University (SE)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nutrition Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2003-06
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 120-125
- ISSN
- 0939-4753 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2041301392
- Cited by
- 28
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 0.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Nutrition Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Hjärt-Lungfonden
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Biochemistry › Antioxidant Activity and Oxidative Stress
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Diseases
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Inflammatory Biomarkers in Disease Prognosis
- Keywords
- beta-carotene, coronary artery disease, immune activation, inflammation, C-reactive protein, soluble interleukin-2 receptor, CD4+CD25+ T cells, lycopene, alpha-tocopherol, antioxidant vitamins, stable angina, confounding factor
- MeSH terms
- Lycopene, Antioxidants, C-Reactive Protein, Carotenoids, Coronary Disease, Flow Cytometry, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Receptors, Interleukin-2, Case-Control Studies, T-Lymphocyte Subsets, beta Carotene, alpha-Tocopherol
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