Effect of dietary level of Vitamin E on the immune system of the spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat.

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) had depressed splenic mitogen responses as well as lower splenic vitamin E when compared to normotensive Wistar Kyoto strain (WKY) rats fed a stock diet. Both strains had depressed T- and B-cell splenic mitogen responses after 17 weeks on a semipurified, vitamin E-deficient diet when compared to animals fed either stock or dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate-supplemented semipurified diet. In addition, SHR fed the vitamin E-supplemented diet had enhanced thymocyte rosetting compared to those fed the vitamin E-deficient diet. In contrast, the dietary vitamin E level did not affect the thymocyte rosetting in WKY rats.