Tocopherol Supplementation Research Articles

The antioxidant requirement for plasma membrane repair in skeletal muscle

Vitamin E (VE) deficiency results in pronounced muscle weakness and atrophy but the cell biological mechanism of the pathology is unknown. We previously showed that VE supplementation promotes membrane repair in cultured cells and that oxidants potently inhibit repair. Here we provide three independent lines of evidence that VE is required for skeletal muscle myocyte plasma membrane repair in vivo. We also show that when another lipid-directed antioxidant, glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4), is genetically deleted in mouse embryonic fibroblasts, repair fails catastrophically, unless cells are supplemented with VE. We conclude that lipid-directed antioxidant activity provided by VE, and possibly also Gpx4, is an essential component of the membrane repair mechanism in skeletal muscle. This work explains why VE is essential to muscle health and identifies VE as a requisite component of the plasma membrane repair mechanism in vivo.

Desempenho de frangos de corte alimentados com diferentes níveis de suplementação de vitamina E

Objetivou-se a avaliação dos efeitos dos níveis de suplementação de vitamina E na ração para frangos de corte sobre o desempenho na fase inicial (um a 21 dias de idade) e de crescimento (21 a 39 dias de idade). Os tratamentos foram definidos pelos níveis de suplementação de vitamina E (DL-α tocoferol). As quantidades adicionadas às rações foram: 10; 30; 50; 75 e 100mg de vitamina E para cada kg de ração. Na fase inicial (experimento I), o menor nível de suplementação de vitamina E mostrou-se superior aos demais, apresentando efeito significativo (P≤0,05) sobre o peso médio aos 21 dias de idade e ganho de peso de um a 21 dias de idade. Na fase de crescimento (experimento II), não houve efeito significativo (P>0,05) dos níveis de suplementação de vitamina E sobre as variáveis estudadas. O nível mínimo de suplementação de vitamina E testado (10mg/kg) é suficiente para atender às exigências dos frangos de corte machos sobre o desempenho.

Effectiveness of Dry Cow Therapy Comprising Antibiotic Treatment, Internal Teat Sealant, and α-Tocopherol Against New Intramammary Infections in Cows

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the preventive effectiveness of dry cow therapy based on antibiotic, internal teat sealant, and α-tocopherol administered separately or in various combinations at drying-off The study was performed on 322 uninfected quarters of 95 cows originating from three dairy herds. The new intramammary infection rates after calving were measured to evaluate the effectiveness. The quarters were divided into six groups differing in treatment, namely: control group (group C, n = 40) and five treatment groups. Treatment groups were arranged as follows: group A (antibiotic alone, n = 81), group AS (antibiotic + sealant, n = 40), group AST (antibiotic + sealant + α-tocopherol, n = 40), group T (α-tocopherol alone, n = 40), group S (sealant alone, n = 81). New infection rate amounted to 47.5% in group C. The treatment in group AST significantly prevented from the occurrence of new intramammary infections (12.5%, P < 0.05), especially those caused by major pathogens. Antibiotic treatment alone (group A) did not prevent from new infections (34.6%, P > 0.05), although the use of the sealant alone (group S) decreased the risk of new infection (24.7%, P < 0.05). A decrease in new infection rate (25%, P < 0.05) was also observed in AS group treated with the combination of the sealant and antibiotic. α -tocopherol supplementation alone (group T) had no overall effect on new infections (35%, P > 0.05). Increased α-tocopherol level (P < 0.05) was detected after calving in the quarters from cows that received α-tocopherol injections. In conclusion, the combination of antibiotic, internal teat sealant, and α-tocopherol used in dry cow therapy showed a significantly better preventive effect against new intramammary infections, than the therapeutics administered separately.

Effects of dietary supplementation with ferulic Acid or vitamin e individually or in combination on meat quality and antioxidant capacity of finishing pigs.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of vitamin E (VE), ferulic acid (FA) and their combination supplementation on meat quality and antioxidant capacities of finishing pigs. Sixty barrows were randomly allocated to four experimental diets using a 2×2 factorial arrangement with 2 VE supplemental levels (0 or 400 mg/kg) and 2 FA supplemental levels (0 or 100 mg/kg) in basal diets. After 28 days, six pigs per treatment were slaughtered. The results showed that VE supplementation increased loin eye area of pigs (p<0.05) and FA supplementation increased pH45min value (p<0.05). The interaction of FA×VE was observed in shear force of longissimus dorsi muscle (p<0.05). Moreover, supplementation with VE decreased hepatic and sarcous malondialdehyde (MDA) content, increased hepatic glutathione (GSH) content and sarcous glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity (p<0.05). Additionally, supplementation with FA increased hepatic GSH-Px activity and decreased sarcous MDA content (p<0.05). However, dietary treatment did not affect the expression of genes related to nuclear factor, erythroid 2-like 2 (NFE2L2) pathway. These results suggest that dietary FA and VE could partially improve meat quality and antioxidant capacity of finishing pigs, but not by activating NFE2L2 pathway under the normal conditions of farming.

Vitamin E attenuates silver nanoparticle-induced effects on body weight and neurotoxicity in rats

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most commonly used nanomaterials; however, it remains unclear whether AgNPs induce neurotoxicity. Here, we investigated the potential neurological effects of AgNPs and the neuroprotective effect of vitamin E (VE). We found that intranasal instillation of AgNPs in neonatal Sprague–Dawley rats caused significant body weight loss. Moreover, histological examinations revealed activation of neuroglial cells with concomitant destruction of the granular layer of the cerebellum. Furthermore, western blot analyses showed an increase in the levels of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a marker of astrocyte activation. These observations suggest that AgNPs have significant neurotoxic effects on the rat cerebellum. Strikingly, oral administration of VE counterbalanced the toxic effects triggered by AgNPs. Taken together, our findings suggest that nasal administration of AgNPs may produce neurotoxicity in rats, and that VE supplementation attenuates these effects.

Αlpha-Tocopherol Supplementation Diminishes the Renal Damage Caused by Experimental Diabetes

Background: Previous studies have shown alpha- tocopherol favorable effects on biochemical markers of kidney function and tissue damage in experimental models of diabetes. However, few reports highlight its effect in organ morphology and even less its impact during pregnancy. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of alpha- tocopherol supplementation on the renal tissue morphology of diabetic pregnant rats. Methods: Diabetes was induced in female Wistar rats after intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin. Healthy rats without any preparation were used as control subjects. Diabetic and control rats were grouped by receiving oral alpha-tocopherol 150 mg/kg/day or the vehicle during pregnancy. Euthanasia was practiced by bleeding under anesthesia at 20 days of gestation. Metabolic markers in plasma were analyzed and the kidney cortex morphology was studied by optical and electron microscopy. Statistic studies were performed using Kruskal Wallis, U Mann-Withney, Dunn and Fisher tests; significant differences were considered with p<0.05. Results: Diabetic rats presented a lower weight gain than the control group, hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia and morphological alterations on renal cortex, with increase in glomerular volume and 70% of tubular damage. A lower incidence of kidney lesions was observed in diabetic rats that received alpha- tocopherol, with similar glomerular volumes to the control and improved of tubular cells with only 36% of damage. Conclusions: The administration of alpha- tocopherol to diabetic rats during gestation showed a protective effect on the morphology kidney. This result would be related to the antioxidant action of alpha- tocopherol, but further studies are needed to confirm this.

Respuesta inmune humoral y celular a la vacuna Brucella abortus cepa RB51 en vaquillas en pastoreo suplementadas con selenio y &amp;#945;-tocoferol

In order to evaluate the effect of selenium and α -tocopherol supplementation on the immune response to Brucella abortus strain RB51, four groups of six ...

Vitamin E attenuates neurotoxicity induced by deltamethrin in rats.

BackgroundThe safety of Deltamethrin (DM) has been raised as a point of concern. The current investigation was envisaged to explore the responsiveness of oxidative stress parameters, DNA fragmentation and expression levels of TP53, cycloxygenase 2 (COX2) and cytochrome p4502E1 (CYP2E1) as toxicological endpoint in rats treated with DM. as well as attention was provided to the neuroprotective effect of vitamin E (VE).MethodsFour different groups of rats were used in this study, group I served as control, group II received DM (0.6 mg/kg BW), group III received both DM plus VE and finally group IV received VE only (200 mg/kg BW). The treatment regimen was extending for one month for all groups and the brain tissues were collected for further analysis.ResultsThe obtained results showed a highly statistically significant increase in lipid peroxidation (LPO) content, nitric oxide concentration, and DNA fragmentation percentage and expression level of CYP2E1, TP53 and COX2 genes, in addition statistical significant reduction in total antioxidant capacity in DM treated group as compared to control were detected. Oral administration of VE attenuated the neurotoxic effects of DM through improvement of oxidative status, DNA fragmentation percentage and suppressing the expression level of CYP2E1, TP53 and COX2 genes.ConclusionFrom this study we concluded that VE supplementation has beneficial impacts on DM neurotoxicity in rats through its antioxidant and antiapoptotic properties.

Effect of tocopherol on atherosclerosis, vascular function, and inflammation in apolipoprotein E knockout mice with subtotal nephrectomy.

Inflammation and endothelial dysfunction contribute to cardiovascular disease, prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Antioxidant supplements such as tocopherols may reduce inflammation and atherosclerosis. This study aimed to investigate the effect of tocopherol supplementation on vascular function, aortic plaque formation, and inflammation in apolipoprotein E(-/-) mice with 5/6 nephrectomy as a model of combined cardiovascular and kidney disease. Nephrectomized mice were assigned to a normal chow diet group (normal chow), a group receiving 1000 mg/kg diet of α-tocopherol supplementation or a group receiving 1000 mg/kg diet mixed-tocopherol (60% γ-tocopherol). Following 12 weeks, in vitro aortic endothelial-independent relaxation was enhanced with both α-tocopherol and mixed-tocopherol (P < 0.05), while mixed-tocopherol enhanced aortic contraction at noradrenaline concentrations of 3 × 10(-7) M to 3 × 10(-5) M (P < 0.05), when compared to normal chow. Supplementation with α- and mixed-tocopherol reduced systemic concentrations of IL-6 (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively) and IL-10 (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively), while α-tocopherol also reduced MCP-1 (P < 0.05) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (P < 0.05). Aortic sinus plaque area was significantly reduced with α-tocopherol supplementation when compared to normal chow (P < 0.01). Tocopherol supplementation favorably influenced vascular function and cytokine profile, while it was also effective in reducing atherosclerosis in the apolipoprotein E(-/-) mouse with CKD.

Can genetic variability in α-tocopherol bioavailability explain the heterogeneous response to α-tocopherol supplements?

Both vitamin E (VE) consumption and blood VE status have been negatively associated with the incidence of degenerative diseases and some cancers. However, the response to VE supplementation is very variable among individuals. This could be due to interindividual variability in VE bioavailability, due, at least partly, to genetic variations in genes involved in VE metabolism. Thus, the main objective was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that may be involved in the interindividual variability in α-tocopherol (TOL) bioavailability. The postprandial chylomicron (CM) TOL response (area under the curve of the postprandial CM TOL concentration) to a TOL-rich meal was highly variable (coefficient of variation=81%; n=38). This response was positively correlated with the fasting plasma TOL concentration (r=0.5, p=0.004). A significant (p=1.8×10(-8)) partial least-squares regression model, which included 28 SNPs in 11 genes, explained 82% of this response. First evidence that the interindividual variability in TOL bioavailability is, at least partly, modulated by a combination of SNPs. TOL bioavailability is, at least partly, modulated by genetic variations that can affect long-term TOL status. This allows us to propose a new hypothesis that links the biological response to VE supplementation with one's individual genetic characteristics.

Effects of vitamin E supplementation on exercise-induced oxidative stress: a meta-analysis.

Tocopherols (commonly referred to as "vitamin E") are frequently studied antioxidants in exercise research. However, the studies are highly heterogeneous, which has resulted in contradicting opinions. The aim of this review is to identify similar studies investigating the effects of tocopherol supplementation on exercise performance and oxidative stress and to perform minimally biased qualitative comparisons and meta-analysis. The literature search and study selection were performed according to Cochrane guidelines. A 2-dimensional study execution process was developed to enable selection of similar and comparable studies. Twenty relevant studies were identified. The high variability of study designs resulted in final selection of 6 maximally relevant studies. Markers of lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) and muscle damage (creatine kinase) were the 2 most frequently and similarly measured variables. Meta comparison showed that tocopherol supplementation did not result in significant protection against either exercise-induced lipid peroxidation or muscle damage. The complex antioxidant nature of tocopherols and low accumulation rates in muscle tissues could underlie an absence of protective effects.

Supplementation with vitamin E and vitamin C inversely alters mitochondrial copy number and mitochondrial protein in obese, exercising rats (1030.5)

Controversy exists as to whether supplementation with the antioxidants vitamin E (VE) and vitamin C (VC) blocks adaptation to exercise. Exercise is a first‐line means to treat obesity and its complications. While obesity alters mitochondrial (MT) function and induces insulin resistance (IR), no data exist as to whether supplementation with VE and VC modify responses to exercise in pre‐existing obesity. We tested the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with VE (0.4 g alpha‐tocopherol acetate/kg) and VC (0.5g/kg) blocks exercise‐induced effects on IR and MT content in obese rats maintained on a high‐fat diet. Obese, sedentary rats had a 2‐fold higher HOMA‐IR and insulin area under the curve following glucose tolerances test than rats fed a low‐fat (10% fat en), eucaloric diet. Exercising (12 wks) of obese rats normalized IR indices, an effect not modified by VE and VC. VE and VC supplementation with exercise elevated MT DNA content in adipose and skeletal muscle to a greater extent (20%) than exercise alone in a depot specific manner. On the other hand, VC and VE decreased MT protein content vs exercise for complex I (40%) and nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (35%) in a muscle‐dependent manner. These data indicate that VE and VC supplementation does not modify exercise‐induced insulin sensitivity but that MT biogenesis and MT protein expression may be separate events modified by antioxidant supplementation.

Supplemental l-arginine and vitamins E and C preserve xanthine oxidase activity in the lung of broiler chickens grown under hypobaric hypoxia

The effects of l-Arg, vitamin C (VC), and vitamin E (VE) on xanthine- (XO) and NAD(P)H-oxidase (NOX) activities, and nitric oxide (NO) availability of hypoxic broilers were evaluated. Chickens were kept in wire cages with free access to feed and water. One-day-old chicks were assigned to 1 of 3 diets: control (CTL; ME 3,200 kcal/kg, CP 23%), high Arg (HA; CTL + Arg 0.8%), or high Arg plus VE and VC (AEC; HA + 200 IU of VE/kg of feed + 500 mg of VC/L of water), and grown under hypobaric hypoxia (HYP) from d 7 to 30. A fourth group of birds was fed the CTL diet and grown under normoxia (CTL-NOR). At d 30, chickens were euthanized, their lungs fixed in vivo, excised, and processed for cyto- and histochemistry. The enzymes XO and NOX were localized and activities assessed histochemically and in lung homogenates. The NO depletion was assessed through nitrotyrosine immunocytochemistry colloidal gold particles (NTY). The XO and NOX localized in cell membranes and within vesicles of pulmonary vessel endothelial cells. The XO activity was higher in CTL-NOR birds (586 ± 43 reflectance units) than in both AEC-HYP (456 ± 39) and HA-HYP birds (394 ± 31), whereas CTL-HYP birds had the lowest XO activity (313 ± 27). The NO depletion was not affected by dietary or hypoxia conditions in clinically healthy birds; nevertheless, hypoxic birds that developed pulmonary hypertension had higher NTY levels (less NO, 145 ± 19) than hypoxic but clinically healthy birds (56 ± 11). Thus, the concurrent supplementation of Arg, VE, and VC restored XO activity without affecting NOX activity or NO availability. The dual role of XO, which produces superoxide and uric acid, may have buffered the effects of superoxide in broiler chickens grown under hypobaric hypoxia.

Vitamin E and bone health: Not just alpha-tocopherol

Vitamin E collectively refers to eight chemically distinct isoforms: , , and δ tocopherols and tocotrienols. Because -tocopherol is the most abundant form of vitamin E in human tissues, most studies of vitamin E's antioxidant effect on bone have only investigated the effects of -tocopherol and many supplements do not contain the other isoforms. Despite this, alpha- tocopherol shows mixed results in animal and human studies of bone, with the most positive outcomes obtained under conditions of oxidative stress. Some studies even show a detrimental effect but because so few human studies measure baseline or follow-up blood levels, it is impossible to determine whether the study population were in deficiency or excess. The only human intervention study to measure blood levels showed that supplementation caused an excess, which was dose-dependently associated with suppression of vitamin K-dependent proteins, thereby increasing risk of osteoporosis. It is likely that -tocopherol will prove to have a U-shaped dose/benefit curve, as with some other fat-soluble vitamins. The remaining isoforms show greater promise than alpha-tocopherol for bone health, particularly because supplementation of -tocopherol can suppress their bioavailability. In particular, -tocopherol and - and -tocotrienol have shown improved results for bone relative to -tocopherol.

Vitamin E boosts resistance to Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in aged mice by inhibiting hepoxilin A3‐mediated neutrophil recruitment across the lung epithelium (392.4)

Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) infections in the elderly are a significant health and economic burden. We showed that vitamin E (VE) supplementation reverses the age‐associated decline in resistance to Sp in mice. To identify mechanisms of VE‐mediated protection, young and old (2 and 22 mo, respectively) mice were fed a control (30 PPM VE) or supplemented (500 PPM VE) diet for 1 mo and then intratracheally challenged with Sp. Aged mice fed the control diet suffered excessive pulmonary inflammation relative to young mice, with almost two‐fold higher levels of neutrophil infiltration (PMNs; p= 0.0157), a feature associated with pulmonary damage and poor disease outcome. VE supplementation reduced pulmonary inflammation in old mice to levels found in young mice. VE also inhibited Sp‐induced PMN egress across polarized lung epithelial monolayers. PMN trans‐epithelial migration in response to Sp infection requires 12‐lipoxygenase‐ (12‐LO‐) dependent production of the eicosanoid hepoxilin A3 (HXA3) but VE had no effect on 12‐LO levels or activity. Rather, VE decreased the responsiveness of PMNs to HXA3. These results indicate that VE dramatically reduces age‐associated susceptibility to Sp in a murine infection model and identify HXA3 responsiveness as a key target for VE‐mediated reduction of PMN migration in aged mice.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Tufts Collaborates, ASPEN ‘13 Abbott Nutrition Grant and USDA Contract #58‐1950‐0‐014

Walker 256/B malignant breast cancer cells disrupt osteoclast cytomorphometry and activity in rats: Modulation by α-tocopherol acetate

We examined the effects of vitamin E supplementation (VES) on osteoclast (OC) resorbing activity and cytomorphometry in Walker 256/B tumor osteolytic rats.Twenty-four aged male rats were randomized into 3 groups: 6 were sham operated; 9 were injected in the right hind limb with Walker 256/B cells (W256 group); and 9 were injected as above and supplemented with VE (45mg/kg BW) (W256VE group). Twenty days later, bone mass (BV/TV) and some microarchitectural parameters were assessed. Some histodynamic parameters, cellular and nuclear form factors (FFC and FFN), and nuclear–cytoplasmic ratio (N/C) of OC were measured for each group.W256 group exhibited osteolytic lesions in the operated femora. Walker 256/B induced trabecular perforation and decreased BV/TV associated with significant increases in OC numbering (N.Oc/B.Ar and Oc.N/B.Pm) and activity (ES/BS and Oc.S/BS). While FFN remain unchanged, the FFC and N/C ratio increased in the W256 group. W256VE showed less osteolytic lesions. Moreover, disruption of bone microarchitecture and OC activity in W256VE group decreased. VES reduced the malignant Walker 256/B-induced enhanced OC resorbing activity with cytoinhibition rate reaching 41%.The protective effect of VE may be due to its modulation of OC cytomorphometry and subsequently their activity.

Short-term alpha- or gamma-delta-enriched tocopherol oil supplementation differentially affects the expression of proinflammatory mediators: selective impacts on characteristics of protein tyrosine nitration in vivo

While vitamin E has been used for decades in cattle diets, the principle form used traditionally is the synthetic α-isoform acetate or succinate and largely no data exist on the biological partitioning or functionality of the major naturally occurring γ- and δ-isoforms in cattle. Using tyrosine 3’-nitrated protein (pNT) as a biomarker of nitrosative cell stress, we sought to evaluate the effectiveness of short-term feeding supplementation of high content natural α-tocopherol (&lt;em&gt;α-T&lt;/em&gt;, 96% α-isomer) compared to high content γ- and δ-enriched low α-content mixed tocopherol oils (&lt;em&gt;γ-T&lt;/em&gt;, ~70% &lt;em&gt;γ-&lt;/em&gt;, 20% δ-, &amp;lt;5% α-isoform) to mitigate systemic and hepatic aspects of the proinflammatory response to endotoxin (LPS). Calves fed diets supplemented with &lt;em&gt;α-T&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;γ-T&lt;/em&gt; for five days or no tocopherol supplement (&lt;em&gt;T0E&lt;/em&gt;) were challenged with a low-level of LPS (0.25 μg/kg, iv, &lt;em&gt;E. coli &lt;/em&gt;055:B5) sufficient to effect a liver nitration response. As fed,&lt;em&gt; α-T&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;γ-T&lt;/em&gt; increased plasma and liver content of the respective tocopherols reflecting their relative abundance in the respective diets. Plasma or tissue mediators and biomarkers of the proinflammatory response [plasma concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, P&amp;lt;0.001), nitrate+nitrite (NOx, P&amp;lt;0.01), and serum amyloid A (SAA, P&amp;lt;0.001)], and general liver content of pNT (P&amp;lt;0.005) increased after LPS. LPS-mediated increases in TNF-α were not dif- ferent between diet treatments; both plasma NOx (P&amp;lt;0.05) and generalized liver pNT (P&amp;lt;0.03) responses were attenuated significantly in &lt;em&gt;α-T &lt;/em&gt;and &lt;em&gt;γ-T versus T0E calves&lt;/em&gt;. Plasma SAA was significantly decreased in γ-T calves at 24 h post-LPS relative to responses in &lt;em&gt;α-T&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;T0E &lt;/em&gt;calves. The nitration of the mitochondrial proteins 24 h post-LPS was not only attenuated in &lt;em&gt;α-T&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;γ-T vs T0E&lt;/em&gt;, but also the mitigating effect of &lt;em&gt;γ-T&lt;/em&gt; on these specific nitration events was greater than that of &lt;em&gt;α-T &lt;/em&gt;(P&amp;lt;0.01). Results are consistent with the concept that short-term &lt;em&gt;α-T&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;γ-T&lt;/em&gt; supplementation can effectively decrease proinflammatory liver pNT after LPS; some mitochondrial nitration targets may be better protected with prophylactic supplementation with γ-,δ-tocopherol enriched oil.

Effect of micronutrient supplementation on the immune function of crossbred dairy cows under semi-arid tropical environment

This study assessed the effect of micronutrient supplementation around peripartum period on immune function, reproductive performance, milk yield and milk quality of crossbred cows. Thirty pregnant crossbred cows in their late gestation were selected and randomly divided into five groups for study. Six cows in each group were supplemented with vitamin E (VE) (2000IU/cow/day), vitamin A (VA) (100,000IU/cow/day), copper (Cu) (20ppm/cow/day), zinc (Zn) (80ppm/cow/day) individually from 45days pre-calving to 45days post-calving and one group without any supplementation served as control. Immune function was studied by in vitro phagocytic activity (PA) of blood neutrophils, lymphocyte proliferation response (LPR) and plasma interleukin-8 (IL-8) concentration. Supplementation of VA significantly (P < 0.05) increased the in vitro PA of blood neutrophils and decreased milk somatic cell counts (SCC). Zn supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) increased the T lymphocyte proliferation response, whereas B lymphocyte LPR was significantly (P < 0.05) increased with both VA and Zn supplementation as compared to the control cows. Plasma IL-8 concentration was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in all supplemented cows. Supplementation of VE, VA and Zn significantly (P < 0.05) reduces days open, whereas VA significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the service per conception. In this study, it is concluded that VE, VA and Zn supplementation around peripartum period can boost the immunity and improve the reproductive performance of crossbred cows in a semi-arid tropical environment.

Effect of dietary vitamin E on broiler meat qualities, color, water‐holding capacity and shear force value, under heat stress conditions

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary vitamin E (VE) on broiler meat quality, especially focused on PSE (pale color, soft and exudative), under chronic heat stress (HS) conditions. Twenty-eight-day-old female Ross broilers were kept in independent cages with a controlled temperature of 24°C (normal temperature: NT) or 30°C (high temperature: HT). The NT chickens were fed basal feed. The HT chickens were fed basal feed (HT) or VE (200 mg/kg) added feed (HT + E). Broilers were weighed and slaughtered at 38 days old. The breast muscle was removed immediately and then the samples were used for determination of meat color, pH, water holding capacity (WHC) and shear force value (SFV). Body weight gain and feed intake were significantly decreased in the HT and HT + E groups compared to the NT group. VE supplementation did not affect the growth performance. Chronic HS at 30°C for 10 days may cause deterioration of meat quality such as PSE. The effects of chronic HS on meat quality were most significant in the toughness of broiler breast meat. Supplementation of VE in broiler feed would be effective to prevent the extent of PSE on broiler meat by chronic HS.

Effectivity of santoquin and vitamin E suplementation on fat value, fatty acid composition and sensory quality of local duck meat

An experiment was conducted to identify the effectivity of antioxidant supplemented in ration for fat and fatty acid consentration and sensory quality of male local duck meat. Two hundred and eighty day old ducks (dod) reared for ten weeks were allotted to either one of 10 treatments in 4 replications with 7 ducks/replication for each treatment. The treatments were: (R 0 ) basal-diet (RB) without antioxidant (control); (R 1 ) RB+50 ppm santoquin (Sq)+100 IU vitamin E (VE); (R 2 ) RB+50 ppm Sq+200 IU VE; (R 3 ) RB+50 ppm Sq+300 IU VE; (R 4 ) RB+100 ppm Sq+100 IU VE; (R 5 ) RB+100 ppm Sq+200 IU VE; (R 6 ) RB+100 ppm Sq+300 IU VE; (R 7 ) RB+150 ppm Sq+100 IU VE; (R 8 ) RB+150 ppm Sq+200 IU VE; (R 9 ) RB+150 ppm Sq+300 IU VE. The experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with one of the treatments as a control and the others were with antioxidants supplementations. The variables observed were: fat concentration, fatty acid composition and concentration, as well as sensory quality (off odor intensity and description values) in male duck meat. Result showed that Sq+VE supplementation could reduce fat content in duck meat. R1 and R4 were the best level to reduce fat contents in fresh meat, but in boiled meat R8 and R9 treatment was the best. Total composition and the ratio of unsaturated fatty acids were higher then those of saturated fatty acids. The fatty acid concentrations of linoleat (C18:2) and arakidonat (C20:4) increased parareled with the antioxidant supplementations in fresh and boiled duck meat. Sq and VE supplementations significantly decreased (P<0,05) intensity off odor (fishy odor) in fresh or boiled duck meat, and 50 ppm Sq+100 IU VE or 100 ppm Sq+100 IU VE was the best treatment to reduce the intensity off odor (fishy odor)on fresh meat, while 150 ppm Sq+200 IU VE or 150 ppm Sq+300 IU VE was on boiled duck meat. It is concluded that lipid oxidation was effectively protected by Sq+VE supplementations resulted is reduced intensity off odor, while the sensory quality of local duck meat increased. Key Words : Local Duck, Antioxidants, Carcass, Fatty Acids, Off Odor, Sensory