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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #316241
Title: Short-term alpha-tocopherol treatment during neonatal period modulates pro-inflammatory response to endotoxin (LPS) challenge in the same calves several months later

Author
item Kahl, Stanislaw
item Elsasser, Theodore

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/10/2015
Publication Date: 7/12/2015
Citation: Kahl, S., Elsasser, T.H. 2015. Short-term alpha-tocopherol treatment during neonatal period modulates pro-inflammatory response to endotoxin (LPS) challenge in the same calves several months later. Meeting Abstract. 198.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Vitamin E, a major natural antioxidant, has been previously shown to attenuate pro-inflammatory response to immune challenge in cattle. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of short-term treatment with alpha-tocopherol in newborn calves on selected elements of the pro-inflamatory response to LPS challenge in the same calves ~ 8 mo later. In two separate trials (n1, n2), newborn Angus x Hereford calves (n1 = 41, n2 = 17) were assigned to alpha-tocopherol (E, 1000 IU/d, ~ 1 g, i.m., Sigma) or control (C, placebo, canola oil, (1 g) treatments. Injections of E/placebo (21/20, 8/9, in n1 and n2, respectively) started on the day of birth and were repeated every other day for the first 14 d of life. At the age of 242 +- 3 d in n1 (BW 275 +- 6 kg) and 223 +- 5 d in n2 (BW 279 +- 10 kg) all calves were challenged with 2 consecutive LPS injections (LPS1, LPS2) 4 d apart (0.25 microgram E. coli 055:B5/kg BW, i.v.). Blood samples were obtained at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 24 h relative to each LPS injection. In n1, plasma concentration of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was determined by RIA with TNF-alpha response to LPS calculated as area under the time × concentration curve (AUC). In n2, total plasma antioxidative capacity (TAC), plasma xanthine oxidase activity (XO), as well as plasma concentration of acute phase proteins, haptoglobin (Hg) and serum amyloid-A (SAA), were measured. No differences between treatment groups were found after LPS1 and LPS2 in plasma XO and Hg, and after LPS1 in TNF-alpha and SAA responses. However, compared to C, E treatment decreased plasma TNF-alpha AUC (5.88 vs. 9.25 ng/mL × h, P < 0.05) and increased SAA concentration (246 vs. 151 microgram per milliliter, P < 0.01) after LPS2. Plasma TAC declined 4 d after LPS1 in all calves (116 vs. 168 micromoles per liter, P < 0.01) although the overall values during LPS2 were greater in E than C calves (125 vs. 106 micromoles per liter, P < 0.05). The data suggest that the i.m. treatment of calves with Vitamin E during a critical first 14 d of life may serve to condition the animals towards a modified immune response later in life. Whether this implies a potential to alter the development of the immune system to improved life-long health remains to be determined.