Altered or Impaired Immune Response to Hepatitis B Vaccine in WNIN/GR-Ob Rat: An Obese Rat Model with Impaired Glucose Tolerance

Obesity is shown to increase the incidence and severity of infectious diseases and individuals seem to exhibit poor antibody response to vaccination due to several inherent immune defects. With the increasing prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) seen in obese individuals, the present study was aimed to investigate the basal immune response and immune response upon Hepatitis B vaccination (HBV) in an obese rat model WNIN/GR-Ob with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Decreased proportions of splenic CD4(+) T helper cells and CD3(+) T cells were observed in obese animals compared to lean animals. Upon HBV, obese animals showed reduced cell-mediated immunity and humoral immunity in terms of splenic lymphocyte proliferative response to Concanavalin A (Con A) and Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBsAg-specific IgG response. Innate immunity as assessed in terms of Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF α) and Nitric oxide (NO) production by peritoneal macrophages upon HBV was low and unchanged, respectively, in obese animals. Thus long-term immunological memory is impaired or altered upon HBV.