Pb. Brevard, BETA-CAROTENE INCREASES MONOCYTE NUMBERS IN PERIPHERAL RAT-BLOOD, International journal for vitamin and nutrition research, 64(1), 1994, pp. 21-25
The purpose of this study was to determine changes in leukocyte number
s in peripheral rat blood after varying dietary beta-carotene intake.
Thirty male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were fed ad libitum a vitamin
A deficient defined nutrient chow, adequate in all other nutrients. R
ats were randomly placed in a group with beta-carotene added to the ch
ow as the vitamin A source. Group 1 was completely deficient, Group 2
had 1 mu g beta-caretene/g chow, the control group, and Group 3 receiv
ed 25 mu g beta-carotene/g chow. Before beginning the experimental die
ts and after two weeks, a blood sample was taken from the tail vein fo
r a differential white blood cell count. Animals were sacrificed by ce
rvical dislocation, and the spleen and thymus were removed and weighed
. There was a statistically significant increase in monocyte numbers i
n Group 3, and a positive correlation between beta-carotene intake and
monocyte numbers. Beta-carotene may affect monocyte numbers, a potent
ial mechanism of action in cancer prevention.