The present study aimed to compare the effects of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 supplementation on concentrations of total and free 25(OH)D in plasma and the expression of genes involved in the innate immune system in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in weaned pigs. Five groups of pigs (with an initial body weight of around 9 kg) received basal diets supplemented with either 500 (control group), 1000 or 2000 IU vitamin D3/kg diet or 1000 or 2000 IU vitamin D2/kg diet for a period of 4 weeks. Vitamin D supplementation did not influence feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, apparent total tract digestibility of calcium and phosphorus, and serum concentrations of calcium, inorganic phosphate and parathyroid hormone. Supplementation of vitamin D3 led to a dose-dependent increase of the concentrations of total and free 25(OH)D in serum. In contrast, pigs supplemented with 1000 or 2000 IU vitamin D2/kg diet did not have higher concentrations of total and free 25(OH)D in serum than the control group. The ratio of free/total 25(OH)D in serum was not influenced by vitamin D3 supplementation, whereas the group supplemented with 2000 IU vitamin D2/kg diet had a higher free/total 25(OH)D ratio than the groups supplemented with 1000 or 2000 IU vitamin D3/kg diet. Genes involved in vitamin D signalling (CYP27B1, VDR), as well as pro-inflammatory and immune regulatory genes (TLR4, TNF, IL1B and TGFB1) and genes encoding porcine protegrins (NPG1, NPG4), proteins belonging to the group of antimicrobial peptides, in PBMC were not different among groups supplemented with vitamin D3 or vitamin D2 and the control group. Therefore, the study indicates that supplementation of vitamin D2 causes much lower levels of total 25(OH)D than supplementation of vitamin D3 and that supplementation of vitamins D2 or D3 at moderate levels does not have an impact on the innate immune function in healthy pigs.
Keywords: Pig; immune function; peripheral blood mononuclear cells; vitamin D2; vitamin D3.