Effect of different dietary levels of vitamin E on lipid peroxidation in rats
Vannucchi, H.; Jordão Júnior, A.A.; Iglesias, A.C.; Morandi, M.V.; Chiarello, P.G.
Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutricion 47(1): 34-37
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-0622 PMID: 9429638 Document Number: 470542
Male Wistar rats (n=6 per group) were fed on a diet containing the recommended level of vitamin E for rats, a diet containing 20 times this recommended level or a diet containing no vitamin E for 10 weeks. Plasma and liver lipid peroxidation were assayed by determination of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and vitamin E in plasma and liver and hepatic reduced glutathione were measured. Administration of vitamin E caused a dose-dependent increase in liver and plasma vitamin E to 42.11 micro g/g liver and 29.52 micro mol/litre respectively, in the supplemented group, and a low concentration of TBARS, 0.67 nmol/mg protein, in liver. The group receiving the diet without vitamin E showed high values of hepatic TBARS, 2.95 nmol/mg protein and low values of reduced glutathione and reduced concentration of hepatic and plasma vitamin E (1.75 micro g/g liver and 3.67 micro mol/litre, respectively). It is concluded that vitamin E deficiency alone induces the liver lipid peroxidation in rats and that maintenance of adequate or higher vitamin E levels act as a protective factor against free radical generation.