Efficient tetanus toxoid immunization upon vitamin D supplementation

Guido Heine (1) , Gennadiy Drozdenko (1) , Annika Lahl (1) , Nadine Unterwalder (1) , Henrik Mei (1) , Hans-Dieter Volk (1) , Thomas Dörner (1) , Andreas Radbruch (1) , M Worm (1)

1 Klinik für Dermatologie, Venerologie und Allergologie

Objectives: Vitamin D mediates immunomodulatory functions and its deficiency has been associated with an increased prevalence of immunologic diseases. The supplementation of vitamin D might be therapeutically beneficial, e.g. in lupus erythematosus patients. However, its impact on established recall immune responses is undefined. Subjects and Methods: 32 individuals were randomized in a placebo controlled, double-blind setting and received vitamin D (daily 2000 I.U.) for 10 weeks followed by tetanus toxoid booster immunization. Results: During vitamin D supplementation the median 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum concentration increased to 80.3 nM, which as expected decreased in the placebo group to 29.1 nM during the UV-deprived winter months. The tetanus toxoid (TT) specific IgG boost efficiency was marginal higher in the vitamin D group (p=0.04). The increase of the 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels correlated with the increase of TT-IgG serum concentrations. The induction of specific serum IgA and specific antibody secreting cells was comparable between both groups. Accordingly, the tetanus toxoid-specific and polyclonally triggered T cell cytokine profiles were stable as well. Conclusions: Vitamin D supplementation was successful and booster immunization induced efficiently specific antibodies titres.

Mots clés: vitamin D; supplementation; tetanus toxoid; immunization; humoral recall response

Guido Heine, Gennadiy Drozdenko, Annika Lahl, Nadine Unterwalder, Henrik Mei, et al.. Efficient tetanus toxoid immunization upon vitamin D supplementation. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2011, ⟨10.1038/ejcn.2010.276⟩. ⟨hal-00608025⟩