| pubmed-article:16931606 | pubmed:abstractText | Without enteral nutrition, the mass and function of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), a center of systemic mucosal immunity, are reduced. Therefore, new therapeutic methods, designed to preserve mucosal immunity during parenteral nutrition (PN), are needed. Our recent study revealed that exogenous interleukin-7 (IL-7; 1 microg/kg twice a day) restores the GALT cell mass lost during intravenous (IV) PN but does not improve secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels. Herein, we studied the IL-7 dose response to determine the optimal IL-7 dose for recovery of GALT mass and function during IV PN. We hypothesized that a high dose of IL-7 would increase intestinal IgA levels, as well as GALT cell numbers. | lld:pubmed |
