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Differential Effects of High Dietary Levels of Vitamin A on the Vitamin E-Selenium Nutrition of Young and Adult Chickens

Department of Poultry Science, Auburn University and Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama 36830

Experiments were conducted to determine the nature of the interaction of high levels of vitamin A and vitamin E-selenium nutrition in the chicken. Results showed that chicks were protected from the vitamin E-selenium deficiency disease exudative diathesis (ED) by a high dietary level of vitamin A (1.0 x 10⁶ IU/kg) which moderately depressed growth. A greater concentration (1.5 x 10⁶ IU/kg) of vitamin A in the diets of hens fed a low vitamin E diet hastened their depletion of plasma tocopherols and increased plasma glutathione peroxidase (GSH·px) activity. At hatching the progeny of vitamin A-fed hens were severely depleted of plasma tocopherols but had normal plasma GSH·px activities. They showed increased susceptibility to ED when fed selenium-deficient, vitamin E-free diets for 2 weeks. Absorption studies using ligated duodenal loops or oral doses indicated that high-level dietary vitamin A promoted the enteric absorption of selenium but interfered with the absorption of vitamin E. The dual nature of these effects was related to the ED-protective influence of vitamin A when fed to chicks, and the ED-stimulative influence on progeny when vitamin A was fed to dams.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin A • vitamin E • selenium • glutathione peroxidase • absorption

¹ Present address: Department of Poultry Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853.

Manuscript received 25 August 1975.