Effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid on cytotoxicity of peripheral blood lymphocytes in piglets

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on the cytotoxicity of peripheral blood lymphocytes in piglets. A total of forty 21-d-old Duroc × Large White × Landrace weaned piglets were randomly allocated into two treatment groups and fed with control diet or 2% CLA diet for 6 weeks.

Dietary CLA significantly increased the number of peripheral blood CD8+ T lymphocytes. Compared with the control group, cytotoxicity, perforin, and granzyme B mRNA expression of peripheral blood lymphocytes in piglets from the CLA-supplementation group increased by 29.98%, 32.87%, and 43.36%, respectively. The piglets on the CLA diet had higher mRNA expression of Lck and Fyn in peripheral blood lymphocytes. The content of C16:0 significantly increased in piglets from the dietary CLA-supplementation group, whereas the content of C18:1 significantly decreased. The CLA content of peripheral blood lymphocytes in piglets in the CLA diet group ranged up to 0.24%.

These results suggest that dietary CLA enhanced cytotoxicity of peripheral blood lymphocytes perhaps through changing its fatty acid composition.