EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO DIETARY NICKEL AND ZINC UPON EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS IN SWXJ MICE

Certain trace metals are known to have immunomodulatory properties in vitro. We report the effects of dietary supplementation with either ni ckel (0.6 g/kg nickel sulfate, dry weight) or zinc (0.6 g/kg zinc sulf ate, dry weight) upon incidence and severity of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in SWXJ mice. Two hundred one animals were bre d in our vivarium, then allocated successively to control, zinc supple mented. or nickel supplemented diets prior to EAE induction. There was no significant difference between EAE incidence or severity in the zi nc supplemented animals compared with controls, but nickel supplemente d animals showed a significant reduction of EAE incidence (P < 0.0001) and severity (P < 0.002). (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.