title: Effect of vitamin E and fat source in sows' diets on immune response of suckling and weaned piglets.
abstract: Thirty-six 7-mo-old gilts were used to study the effects of dietary vitamin E and fat source (5% sunflower oil or animal fat) in pregnant and lactating sow diets on serum vitamin E concentration and on cell-mediated and humoral immune response in suckling and weaned piglets. Six gilts each received one of six diets throughout pregnancy and lactation. The basal diets (13 mg alpha-tocopherol/kg diet) were supplemented with dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate to 48 and 136 mg alpha-tocopherol/kg of feed (average analyzed values). After weaning (at 4 wk of age) all pigs received identical diets (20 mg of alpha-tocopherol/kg feed). One week after weaning, pigs were immunized (i.m. with ovalbumin and tetanus toxoid) and antibody production was measured. Blood samples were taken immediately after birth, at 1 wk after birth, at weaning, and at four weekly intervals after weaning. Samples were analyzed for alpha-tocopherol concentration, total number of leukocytes, T- and B-lymphocytes, lymphocyte stimulation with concanavalin A, lysozyme activity, and immunoglobulin concentrations. It was concluded that a high vitamin E level in the sow's diet increased serum vitamin E concentration of 1-wk-old pigs (P less than .05). Immune response against ovalbumin was increased (P less than .05) at 1 wk of age after immunization for weaned pigs from sows fed the high level of vitamin E. Also, the phagocytic measures of pigs at 1 wk of age were increased by the medium vitamin E level (P less than .05). Fat sources in the sow's diet had no consistent effect on the immunological measures of pigs.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Anim. Nutr., Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Babinszky
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Langhout
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Verstegen
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: den Hartog
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Joling
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nieuwland
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling / Q000276:immunology*; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001402:B-Lymphocytes; D003126:Colostrum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007774:Lactation / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000662:veterinary; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D009113:Muramidase / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D013552:Swine / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D014886:Weaning
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D014810:Vitamin E; D009113:Muramidase