Low-dose vitamin A therapy on T lymphocyte function in neonatal pneumonia

P. Zhang, T.-T. Cui, Z.-H. Zhang, Y.-Q. Wang

Department of Neonatology, The Children & Women’s Healthcare of Laiwu City, Laiwu 271199, P.R. China. 76304338@qq.com

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• Pharmacology

OBJECTIVE: We aimed at studying the effect of adjuvant therapy with low-dose vitamin A on the function of T lymphocytes in neonatal pneumonia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We recruited 60 cases of neonatal pneumonia which were randomly divided in two equal groups. The control group was treated with conventional anti-inflammatory therapy and aerosol inhalation. The experimental group received oral vitamin A soft capsules for 7 days.

RESULTS: Pre-treatment levels vitamin A level and vitamin A deficiency disorders (VADD) percentage revealed no differences between the two groups. The treatment course for the experimental group was shorter than the control group. Serum IgM, IgG, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels were increased, whereas the levels of malondialdehyde were decreased in the experimental group after treatment. The control group showed no changes in these factors. After treatment, both groups showed increased percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, but the experimental group showed a larger increase.

CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal pneumonia is often accompanied by a low level of vitamin A, and adjuvant therapy can shorten its disease course, improve IgM and IgG levels, and improve anti-oxidative and cellar immune function.

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