Immune Response and Plasma Alpha Tocopherol and Selenium Status of Male Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Calves Supplemented with Vitamin E and Selenium

An experiment was conducted using 20 male buffalo calves to study the effect of vitamin E and selenium supplementation on their immune response and plasma ${\alpha}$-tocopherol and selenium status. These buffalo calves (10-12 months old, average body weight $75.30{\pm}2.20 $ kg) were randomly allotted to four treatments on the basis of their body weights and were fed on wheat straw and concentrate mixture to meet their nutrient requirements of 500 g/d body weight gain. The buffalo calves were fed either a control diet (neither supplemented with Se nor VE) or diets supplemented with Se at 0.3 ppm (+Se), DL-alpha tocopheryl acetate at 300 IU (+VE), and both DL-alpha tocopheryl acetate at 300 IU and Se at 0.3 ppm (+Se+VE). These experimental diets were fed for 180 days. Blood samples were collected at day 0 and subsequently at 45 day intervals up to 180 days of experimental feeding to monitor plasma ${\alpha}$-tocopherol and Se concentrations. To assess humoral immune response, all calves were sensitized with formalin inactivated Pasteurella multocida antigen at 135 days of experimental feeding and blood was collected on 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days post vaccination (DPV) to measure antibody production using indirect ELISA. Cell mediated immune response of calves was assessed after 180 days of experimental feeding by in vivo delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction using phytohaemaglutinin-P (PHA-P) as a mitogen. Results revealed that feeding of VE and Se improved the plasma levels of these nutrients. Plasma levels of Se were affected by supplementation of both VE (p<0.001) and Se (p<0.001); however, no interaction ($Se{\times}VE$) was observed. Supplementation of Se improved the humoral immune response (p<0.008), whereas, VE showed a tendency towards improvement in cell mediated immune response (p<0.064). It was concluded that vitamin E and Se supplementation improved the status of these micronutrients and humoral immune response in buffalo calves.