References(22) 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 (P0.01). 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 (P0.05). 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 (P0.05). 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.
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