Journal
BIOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 3, Issue 3, Pages 284-288Publisher
ROYAL SOCIETY
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0003
Keywords
ecological immunology; immune costs; antioxidant
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Innate immunity relies on effectors, which produce cytotoxic molecules that have not only the advantage of killing pathogens but also the disadvantage of harming host tissues and organs. Although the role of dietary antioxidants in invertebrate immunity is still unknown, it has been shown in vertebrates that carotenoids scavenge cytotoxic radicals generated during the immune response. Carotenoids may consequently decrease the self-harming cost of immunity. A positive relationship between the levels of innate immune defence and circulating carotenoid might therefore be expected. Consistent with this hypothesis, we show that the maintenance and use of the prophenoloxidase system strongly correlate with carotenoid concentration in haemolymph within and among natural populations of the crustacean Gammarus pulex.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available