Pretreatment of Young Pigs with Vitamin E Attenuates the Elevation in Plasma Interleukin-6 and Cortisol Caused by a Challenge Dose of Lipopolysaccharide

Manuscript received 27 March 1998. Initial reviews completed 30 April 1998. Revision accepted 28 May 1998.

Department of Animal Sciences and Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801 and ^* Department of Animal Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210

The effect of a short-term, high-dose intramuscular injection of d--tocopherol was studied in pigs given a challenge dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Twenty-four pigs surgically fitted with jugular catheters were used in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Pigs received either 0 or 600 mg d--tocopherol by intramuscular injection for 3 d before receiving an intraperitoneal injection of saline containing either 0 or 5 µg/kg body weight Escherichia coli LPS. Blood was collected from indwelling jugular catheters at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 h after injection of LPS. Plasma -tocopherol levels were 13-fold greater (P < 0.01) at time 0 in pigs pretreated with 600 mg d--tocopherol (9.9 ± 1.3 mg/L) than in those not treated with d--tocopherol (0.74 ± 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 -tocopherol before the LPS challenge had substantially lower (P < 0.05) peak levels of IL-6 and cortisol than pigs not receiving -tocopherol. These results suggest that supplementation with a surfeit level of vitamin E reduces the response of pigs to endotoxin.

The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 128 No. 10 October 1998, pp. 1657-1660
Copyright ©1998 by the American Society for Nutritional Sciences

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