Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Oral antioxidant supplement effects in cats with FIV infection
By Webb, Craig B et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2008·Clinical Sciences Department, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of an oral superoxide dismutase enzyme supplementation on indices of oxidative stress, proviral load, and CD4:CD8 ratios in asymptomatic FIV-infected cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of six cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) were given an antioxidant supplement for 30 days to see if it could help their health. After the treatment, the cats showed higher levels of a specific enzyme and improved immune cell ratios, which suggests the supplement was effective in boosting their antioxidant levels. However, there were no significant changes in other health markers like viral load. While the results are promising, more research is needed to see how this treatment could help cats with more severe symptoms or other health issues.
People also search for: FIV in cats treatment · antioxidant supplements for cats · cat immune system support
Abstract
This study was designed to test the effect of antioxidant supplementation on feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-infected felines. Six acutely FIV-infected cats (> or =16 weeks post-inoculation) were given a propriety oral superoxide dismutase (SOD) supplement (Oxstrin; Nutramax Laboratories) for 30 days. Following supplementation, the erythrocyte SOD enzyme concentration was significantly greater in the supplemented FIV-infected group than the uninfected control group or the unsupplemented FIV-infected group. The CD4+ to CD8+ ratio increased significantly (0.66-0.88) in the SOD supplemented FIV-infected cats but not in the unsupplemented FIV-infected cats. Proviral load and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in leukocyte cell types did not change significantly following supplementation. Antioxidant supplementation resulted in an increase in SOD levels, confirming the oral bioavailability of the compound in FIV-infected cats. This result warrants further investigation with trials of antioxidant therapy in FIV-infected cats that are showing clinical manifestations of their disease, as well as in other feline patients where oxidative stress likely contributes to disease pathogenesis, such as diabetes mellitus and chronic renal failure.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18387839/