PRETREATMENT OF YOUNG-PIGS WITH VITAMIN-E ATTENUATES THE ELEVATION INPLASMA INTERLEUKIN-6 AND CORTISOL CAUSED BY A CHALLENGE DOSE OF LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE
Dm. Webel et al., PRETREATMENT OF YOUNG-PIGS WITH VITAMIN-E ATTENUATES THE ELEVATION INPLASMA INTERLEUKIN-6 AND CORTISOL CAUSED BY A CHALLENGE DOSE OF LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE, The Journal of nutrition, 128(10), 1998, pp. 1657-1660
The effect of a short-term, high-dose intramuscular injection of d-alp
ha-tocopherol was studied in pigs given a challenge dose of lipopolysa
ccharide (LPS). Twenty-four pigs surgically fitted with jugular cathet
ers were used in a 2 x 2 factorial design. Pigs received either 0 or 6
00 mg d-alpha-tocopherol by intramuscular injection for 3 d before rec
eiving an intraperitoneal injection of saline containing either 0 or 5
mu g/kg body weight Escherichia coli LPS. Blood was collected from in
dwelling jugular catheters at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 h after inje
ction of LPS. Plasma alpha-tocopherol levels were 13-fold greater (P <
0.01) at time 0 in pigs pretreated with 600 mg d-alpha-tocopherol (9.
9 +/- 1.3 mg/L) than in those not treated with d-alpha-tocopherol (0.7
4 +/- 0.09 mg/L). Injection of LPS increased (P < 0.05) plasma levels
of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cortisol at 2-h postinjection, regardless
of vitamin E treatment. However, pigs that received alpha-tocopherol b
efore the LPS challenge had substantially lower (P < 0.05) peak levels
of IL-6 and cortisol than pigs not receiving alpha-tocopherol. These
results suggest that supplementation with a surfeit level of vitamin E
reduces the response of pigs to endotoxin.