Vitamin E and aspirin depress prostaglandins in protection of chickens against Escherichia coli infection

Abstract

The hypothesis was tested that vitamin E protects chickens from a lethal Escherichia coli infection by inhibiting the biosynthesis of prostaglandins, thereby activating humoral immunity and phagocytosis. When chickens were fed supplemental vitamin E at the level of 300 mg/kg diet, which is six times the presently used dietary level, endogenous PGE₁, PGE₂, and PGF_2α levels decreased in the immunopoietic organs, bursa, and spleen. Antibody titers to E. coli lipopolysaccharide and phagocytosis increased at the same time. Infection slightly increased prostaglandin levels and vitamin E appeared to compensate for this increase. Aspirin, a known prostaglandin inhibitor acted synergistically with vitamin E in depressing endogenous PG levels in bursa and decreasing mortality from E. coli infection.