Increased frequency and risk of infection is one of the well described complications of sickle cell anemia (SCA). Dietary supplementation in children with SCA and growth retardation improved growth and decreased incidence of infection. We investigated the impact of a high protein diet on weight gain, hematological profile, and immune cytokine levels in the Berkeley model of SCA, 16 of which were randomized to either regular mouse diet with 20% of calories from protein (n = 8) or a test feed with 35% of calories from protein (n = 8). Control mice (C57BL/6, n = 16) were correspondingly randomized, and were all feed ad libitum for three months with actual intake estimated by subtracting the weight of gnaw waste from that of the feed given. Blood was collected at sacrifice by cardiac puncture and plasma levels of T helper cell 1 (TH1) and TH2 associated cytokines were measured using a multiplex antibody immobilized bead assay. SCA mice receiving the 35% protein diet had modest improvements in weight, red blood cell count, and hemoglobin level, with a slight decrease in reticulocyte count compared with SCA mice on the regular mouse diet. Furthermore, they also had significantly higher plasma levels of cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (P = 0.02), interferon (IFN)-γ (P = 0.01), interleukin 10 (IL-10; P = 0.02), and IL-4 (P = 0.02) compared with those that received the 20% protein diet. We conclude that providing additional protein calories to transgenic SCA mice increased the plasma levels of acute inflammatory cytokines associated with immune response to infection, which might partly explain decreased episodes of infection observed among supplemented children with SCA.
Keywords: Nutrition; cytokines; immunity; infection; sickle cell disease.