Role of Vitamins in Immune Response

Vitamins play an important role in maintaining immune response of the animals. The vitamin deficiency causes specific pathologic changes, the tissues affected become liable to secondary infection. The paper reviews the role played by various vitamins in immune response. Vitamin A & E-carotene influence both specific & non specific host defence mechanisms. It enhances the lymphocyte proliferation, delayed type of hyper sensitivity& natural killer cell activity. It stimulates the production of IL-1 & IL-2. Vitamin A increases serum antibody levels and enhances phagocytosis & intracellular kill by polymorphonuclear cells & macrophages. The defence mechanism of vitamin E is mainly dependent on its antioxidant activity. It enhances antibody production, cell proliferation, cytokine production & neutrophil function. Vitamin D enhances the phagocytic activity of macrophages, T- cell differentiation & slows down the spontaneous thymic involution. Vitamin C stimulates the phagocytic activity of leukocytes, function of reticulo endothelial system and the formation of antibodies and has antiviral & anticancer properties. Vitamin K influence the level of serum complement. The B-complex vitamins are associated with antibody production & their deficiency causes decrease in complement and reduction of leukocytes in peritoneal-induced exudates & reduced cellular migration to areas of inflammation. Thus the vitamins can reduce the use of antibodies as feed additives.