The effects of retinol on in vitro immunoglobulin synthesis by cord blood and adult peripheral blood mononuclear cells

SUMMARY In this study we examined the effects of retinol (ROH), a metabolic precursor of retinoic acid (RA), on Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC)‐induced immunoglobulin synthesis of cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) and adult peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). ROH augmented SAC‐induced IgM synthesis of CBMC by 5.9±1.5‐fold ( n = 7, mean ± s.d.), and IgG synthesis of adult PBMC by 16.3 ±5.1‐fold ( n = 3) at optimal concentrations of 10 −6 m and 10 −11 m, respectively. No augmenting effects could be demonstrated for the other immunoglobulin isotypes. Time‐course studies showed that the synthesis of IgM by CBMC was accelerated with detectable immunoglobulin in supernatant fluids starting on day 3. ROH augmented immunoglobulin synthesis of CBMC stimulated by Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV), a T cell‐independent polyclonal activator, and of EBV‐transformed B cell clones (2.5 ± 0.2 and 41 ± 1.5‐fold increase, respectively), which suggests that ROH can act directly on B cells to enhance immunoglobulin synthesis. In contrast, when ROH was preincubated with cord blood T cells, washed and added to the B cell‐enriched fraction with SAC, no increase (0.9–1.8‐fold) in IgM synthesis was obtained. Thus, the principal mechanism(s) by which ROH augments immunoglobulin synthesis is by acting on B cells. This is in contrast to the immunoglobulin‐enhancing effects of RA which is mediated by T cells, or T cell products, e.g. cytokine. Our studies suggest that RA and ROH may have different pathways of immunoglobulinenhancing effects, perhaps mediated by different retinoid binding proteins resulting in gene activation and immunoglobulin synthesis.