Effect of varying amounts of polyunsaturated fat and α-tocopherol on plasma and red cell content of α-tocopherol in the rat

Abstract

The response of erythrocyte and plasma α-tocopherol levels to changes in dietary linoleate and vitamin E was studied in rats. Sixty wealing rats were fed a diet composed of 15.5% fat made up of a mixture of hydrogenated coconut oil and corn oil to give three levels of linoleic acid (3, 6, 9% by wieght) and three levels of α-tocopherol (30, 50, 100 mg/kg food) in the different experiments. After 8 weeks, blood was drawn by heart puncture, separated and analyzed for α-tocopherol in plasma and erythrocytes. Increased dietary linoleate resulted in a reduced α-tocopherol content of both plasma and red cells. However, only in the red cells were the changes significant when subjected to two way analysis of variance (p<0.05).