Immunomodulatory effects of selenium and vitamin E on alterations in T lymphocyte subsets induced by T-2 toxin.

AbstractContext: T-2 toxin, a potent mycotoxin, has serious effects on immune system.Objective: Here, the effects of a sublethal dose of this toxin on T lymphocyte sub-population levels and the potential protective effects from treatment with selenium or vitamin E were studied.Materials and methods: After having determined the sublethal dose of the T-2 toxin in Balb/c mice hosts, the post-injection kinetics of changes in T lymphocyte sub-population (CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ cells) profiles were analyzed via flow cytometry. For these studies, the selenium and vitamin E were either provided to the mice before or concurrent with the toxin.Results: The results show that after a sublethal dose of T-2 alone, the number of CD8+ T-lymphocytes was significantly decreased at 12 h and normalized at 48 h. In contrast, level of CD3+ and CD4+ T-lymphocytes were significantly increased at 24 h and returned to normal after 48 h. When selenium was injected into the mice 24 h before or concurrent with the T-2, the effects on CD...