title: Vitamin E and immune responses of broiler pureline chickens.
abstract: Immunological responses of cockerels fed diets containing either 10 or 300 mg/kg of vitamin E were measured in three commercial broiler nuclear lines designated as A, B, and C. All cockerels were fed the 10 mg/kg diet to 91 d of age, at which time half were continued on that diet and the other half were fed a diet supplemented to contain 300 mg/kg of vitamin E. Sixteen days after feeding the diets, cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity (CBH), which is an in vivo, cell-mediated immune response, was determined as the increase in toe-web skin thickness 24 h after an injection with phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P). Twenty-two days after feeding the diets, heterophils and lymphocytes were enumerated. At this time cockerels were also inoculated intravenously with 0.1 mL of 0.25% SRBC. The injection with SRBC was repeated 27 d later. Six and 20 d after each injection, antibody titers were determined. Mercaptoethanol-resistant (IgG) and mercaptoethanol-sensitive (IgM) antibodies were also measured in the secondary titers. The ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes increased, and CBH response was depressed by feeding the higher vitamin E diet. For cockerels of Lines A and B, the higher level of vitamin E maintained primary and secondary SRBC antibody levels, whereas for Line C, levels were depressed. The effect of the higher vitamin E diet on IgG and IgM was also stock-dependent. The enhanced heterophil:lymphocyte ratio from feeding vitamin E suggests an improved phagocytic ability of the immune system. Relative asymmetries for toe-web skin thickness and shank length were similar for the three lines.
authors.affiliation: Animal and Poultry Sciences Department, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg 24061-0306, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boa-Amponsem
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Picard
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Geraert
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Siegel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001491:Basophils / Q000276:immunology; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008623:Mercaptoethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D012756:Sheep; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology; D013045:Species Specificity; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D014810:Vitamin E; D008623:Mercaptoethanol