title: Vitamin E protects mice against Diplococcus pneumoniae type I infection.
abstract: Vitamin E protects nonimmunized and immunized mice against fatal Diplococcus pneumoniae type I (DpI) infection. A dietary supplementation of 180 mg of dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate per kg of diet increased survival of nonimmunized mice from 20 to 80% when challenged with 20 organisms, and of mice immunized with 0.5 ng of DpI polysaccharide from 15 to 70% when challenged with 20,000 organisms. The phagocytic index of immunized mice was four times higher in the 180-mg vitamin E group than in the control group. Both the survival and phagocytic index revealed a biphasic dose response, indicating a cause-effect relationship between phagocytosis and survival. Vitamin E also significantly increased the rate of carbon clearance from blood, indicating a general increase in phagocytic activity. The data indicated that increased macrophage activity probably aided by increased antibody production was the principal reason for increased protection.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002244:Carbon / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D007114:Immunization; D051379:Mice; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E; D002244:Carbon