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Article

Acute Starvation and Subsequent Refeeding Affect Lymphocyte Subsets and Proliferation in Cats¹

Kimberly A. Freitag^*,2, Korinn E. Saker³, Elizabeth Thomas and Joan Kalnitsky

^* Graduate Program in Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise and Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic University, Blacksburg, VA 24061

³To whom correspondence should be addressed at VMRCVM, Department LACS, Phase II, Duckpond Dr., Blacksburg, VA 24061.

Although the early identification of patients with suboptimal nutritional status can allow the implementation of nutritional intervention to enhance the ability of the body to fight infection and disease, currently no definitive test of nutritional status exists. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify possible functional indicators of acute nutritional deprivation. The effects of total nutritional deprivation and subsequent refeeding on lymphocyte functions and subpopulations were examined in 23 healthy cats. Peripheral blood samples were analyzed at various times during food deprivation and refeeding periods. During the food deprivation period, decreases were observed in leukocyte number (P < 0.05), lymphocyte number (P < 0.05), percentage of CD4⁺ cells [before stimulation with concanavalin-A (Con-A); P < 0.05] and the CD4/CD8 ratio (before stimulation with Con-A; P < 0.01) compared with d 0. Increases were observed in the percentage of CD8⁺ cells [before (P < 0.05) and after (P < 0.01) stimulation with Con-A] and in intracellular calcium (P < 0.01) during acute starvation. During the refeeding period, increases were observed in the percentage of CD4⁺ cells (before and after stimulation with Con-A; P < 0.01), the percentage of CD8⁺ cells (before stimulation with Con-A; P < 0.05) and lymphocyte number (P < 0.05) compared with d 7. Lymphocyte proliferative capacity tended to decrease (P = 0.07) during starvation and increased (P < 0.01) during the refeeding period. These findings suggest that a 7-d starvation period had immunosuppressive effects on cats and that these effects were not completely normalized during 7 d of refeeding. CD4⁺/CD8⁺ subset alterations and CD4/CD8 ratio in conjunction with lymphocyte proliferation may be useful as indices of nutritional status.

KEY WORDS: • CD4 • CD8 • starvation • lymphocytes • calcium • cats