Effects of vitamin B12 supplementation on oxidative stress markers and pro-inflammatory cytokines during pregnancy and postpartum among Bangladeshi mother-child pairs.

BACKGROUND: There is limited research to determine whether vitamin B12 (B12) supplementation during pregnancy and lactation is protective against oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines and whether this effect is transferred to breastfed infants via milk. In addition, associations among maternal plasma/ milk and infant B12 status and immune function markers are poorly characterized. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate effects of oral B12 supplementation during pregnancy and postpartum on maternal and infant 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG, an oxidative stress marker) and proinflammatory cytokine levels, and examine associations between maternal plasma, breastmilk and infant B12 status as well as immune function markers. METHOD: In a blinded, placebo-controlled trial, Bangladeshi women (n = 68, 18-35 years, hemoglobin < 11 g/dL, gestational weeks 11-14) received either 250 µg/day B12 or placebo throughout pregnancy up to 3-months postpartum. Samples were collected from mothers at baseline and 3-months postpartum and from infants at 3-months to measure B12 status indicators, 8-OH-dG and proinflammatory cytokines. RESULTS: Maternal postpartum B12 was positively associated with infant plasma B12. Higher milk B12 concentrations were associated with increased infant B12 (beta (ß) = 277, 95% confidence interval (CI) = (132, 423), p<0.001) and lower total homocysteine (ß = -7.63, 95% CI = (-12.40, -2.86), p = 0.002) levels. Maternal B12 supplementation reduced plasma 8-OH-dG concentrations among postpartum mothers and infants compared to the placebo group. Supplementation increased plasma TNF-α and IL-6 levels among mothers and IL-10 and IFN-γ levels among infants. CONCLUSION: Milk and maternal plasma B12 at 3 months were associated with infant B12. Maternal B12 supplementation modulates 8-OH-dG and several cytokines which may protect against immune response-induced oxidative stress. TRIAL REGISTRATION: (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01795131- 1st posted on 20/02/2013).

Antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of Piper retrofractum against Paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in Sprague-Dawley rat.

The ethanol extracts of Piper retrofractum were investigated for antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity. Hepatoprotective activity against paracetamol-induced acute hepatotoxicity was estimated in Sprague-Dawley rat. In DPPH free radical assay the root and stem extracts showed IC50 values at 133 and 91 µg/mL, respectively, while ascorbic acid at 14 µg/mL. Extracts also exhibited hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and reducing power. HPLC-DAD analysis indicated the presence of some polyphenolic compounds. Treatment of extracts significantly reduced the elevated serum levels of GPT (P < 0.01), GOT (P < 0.01) and bilirubin (P < 0.001). Both extracts restored the reduced level of total proteins and albumin. A significant increase in HDL-c but decrease in LDL-c level was observed compared to induced control. In histopathological study of liver sections, both extracts showed minimal to mild multifocal and diffuse granular degeneration and mild to moderate lobular disarray compared to control group. Results suggest that both extracts can prevent paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity.

Vitamin A Supplementation during Pregnancy Enhances Pandemic H1N1 Vaccine Response in Mothers, but Enhancement of Transplacental Antibody Transfer May Depend on When Mothers Are Vaccinated during Pregnancy.

Background: In the growing embryo, the vitamin A requirement is tightly regulated. Maternal vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy may alter maternal immune function to accommodate the fetus. Objective: Our primary objective was to determine the effect of oral vitamin A supplementation (VAS) during pregnancy and until 6 mo postpartum on pandemic H1N1-vaccine responses in mothers and their infants at 6 mo of age. Methods: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, pregnant women (n = 112) during the second trimester (mean ± SD: 14 ± 1 wk) were assigned to receive either an oral dose of 10,000 IU vitamin A or placebo weekly until 6 mo postpartum. During the third trimester, mothers received a single dose of inactivated pandemic H1N1-influenza vaccine. Hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) titer was measured in cord, infant, and maternal blood samples. Multivariate regressions with adjustments were used for data analysis. Results: Seventy-six percent of women had low plasma retinol concentrations (<1.05 µmol/L) in their second trimester. VAS of mothers increased vitamin A concentrations in cord blood by 21.4% and in colostrum by 40.7%. At 6 mo postpartum, women in the vitamin A group had 38.7% higher HAI titers and a higher proportion of HAI titer of ≥1:40 of the cutoff compared with the placebo group. A total of 54.5% of infants had an HAI titer ≥1:40 at 6 mo of age, but there was no difference in HAI titer in infants between groups. Overall, HAI in cord blood did not differ between groups, but in the placebo group, cord blood HAI was negatively associated with maternal "vaccination-to-delivery intervals" (rs = -0.401; P = 0.5), and maternal VAS increased cord blood HAI 6-fold if antenatal immunization was administered ≥10 wk before delivery. Conclusions: In a community with low vitamin A status, weekly maternal VAS during pregnancy and postpartum increases the breast-milk vitamin A concentration and enhances prenatal H1N1-vaccine responses in mothers, but the benefits of maternal VAS in transplacental antibody transfer may depend on the time of gestation when mothers were vaccinated. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00817661.

Maternal zinc supplementation improves hepatitis B antibody responses in infants but decreases plasma zinc level.

PURPOSE: The World Health Report identifies zinc deficiency as one of the major causes of disease in developing countries, and infants are at particular risk. We aimed to investigate the effect of maternal zinc supplementation on the infant's immune function in a population at risk of deficiency. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial, mothers were supplemented either with 20 mg/day of elemental zinc (n = 20) or placebo (n = 19) at the beginning of second trimester, which continued until 6 months postpartum. Indicators of the infants' immune function measured included interleukin (IL)-7, thymic size and response to hepatitis B vaccination. RESULTS: Infants born from mothers receiving zinc supplements during pregnancy and postpartum had significantly lower plasma zinc (p < 0.05) but marginally higher IL-7 and antibody responses to hepatitis B vaccination (p < 0.10) than infants born from mothers not receiving zinc. Maternal zinc supplementation showed no negative impact on copper status of mothers or their infants. Maternal zinc supplementation did not influence infant thymic size, but cord blood IL-7 was found positively associated with thymus size at 1 month of age (r = 0.392) and with hepatitis B vaccine response at 6 months of age (r = 0.386). CONCLUSION: Prenatal and postnatal zinc supplementation marginally improved T cell-dependent antibody responses in infants along with IL-7, a cytokine involved in human T cell development and maintaining homeostasis.