Relationship between Vitamin E and Erythrocyte Hemolysis in Rat Fed on Autoxidized Methyl Linoleate

Abstract

Autoxidized oils including peroxide have been generally known to cause certain diseases in animals. It has been also known that the erythrocytes of vitamin E deficient animals easily hemolyze in the presence of hydrogen peroxide or dilauric acid in vitro due to the peroxidation of lipids in thier membranes. However, very few observations have been reported whether the erythrocytes of rats hemolyze or not when autoxidized oil is given orally.In the present paper, the authors examined the relation between the H2O2-induced hemolysis of the erythrocytes and the vitamin E contents of the sera of the rats fed on autoxidized methyl linoleate (AOML) or a mixture of AOML and vitamin E. The diet shown in Table-2 was given to rats in each experimental group for 7 days, respectively.The following results were obtained;1. The hemolysis of the erythrocytes in the rats fed on methyl linoleate appeared more frequently than in the rats fed on the basal diet.2. Higher hemolysis was observed in the erythrocytes of the rats fed on AOML than in those of the rats fed on methyl linoleate.3. Any hemolysis of the erythrocytes was hardly observed in the rats fed on the additional vitamin E with the basal diet containing methyl linoleate (fresh or autoxidized).4. The serum vitamin E content of the rat in the AOML group was the lowest of all the groups tested.From these results, the authors presumed that the hemolysis of the erythrocytes of the rats fed on AOML might be caused by the following process; Some digestible and absorbable components from AOML decreased in vivo serum vitamin E content below a level susceptable of vitamin E deficiency.