Immunological Alterations in Rats Fed with Flour from the Palmyrah Palm (Borassus flabellifer L)

Abstract

The humoral and cell-mediated immune competence of rats fed a 25% palmyrah flour diet was examined. The humoral response was evaluated by determining hemag-glutinating antibody titers and hemolytic plaque-forming cell counts in the spleen following immunization with sheep red blood cells. The cell-mediated immune response was evaluated by the uptake of tritiated thymidine by peripheral blood and splenic lymphocytes following mitogenic stimulation. The immune competence of animals fed the flour for 2 weeks was not significantly altered. After 7 weeks, however, a significant and consistent depression of the humoral as well as the cell-mediated immune response was observed. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from rats which had been fed a 100% flour diet for 1 week also failed to respond to PHA stimulation. It is possible that these immunological alterations are etiologically related to the malignant lymphomas which develop in rats after prolonged feeding with palmyrah flour. Palmyrah flour appears to be the only human staple food which has been demonstrated to produce significant alterations in the immune competence of experimental rats. © 1981, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.