Effect of supplemental vitamin E on the peripheral blood leukocyte population in Japanese Black calves

We investigated the effect of supplemental vitamin E on the peripheral blood leukocyte population in Japanese Black calves. Twenty-six calves kept at the same farm were studied. They were divided into two groups; thirteen calves received 300 IU/day of vitamin E orally from 1 to 3 months of age (VE group), and the other thirteen calves did not receive the vitamin E supplement (control group). The VE group showed a higher serum vitamin E concentration at 2 and 3 months of age compared with the control group (P<0.01). The numbers of CD3(+) cells and CD4(+) cells were higher in the VE group than in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant at 3 months of age (P<0.05). The numbers of CD21(+) cells were higher in the VE group than in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant at 2 months of age (P<0.05). The numbers of CD335(+) cells tended to be higher in the VE group than in the control group. The numbers of CD8(+) cells and CD14(+) cells tended to be higher in the VE group than in the control group at 3 and 4 months of age. This study demonstrated that the supplementation of suckling Japanese Black calves with vitamin E might affect the numbers of some immune cell types in the peripheral blood.