Studies of tocopherol deficiency in infants and children. II. Plasma tocopherol and erythrocyte hemolysis in hydrogen peroxide.

Abstract

Although concentrations of tocopherol in tissues or blood and estimates of dietary intake have been used as indices of vitamin E nutrition, the absence in man of recognized clinical, biochemical, or physiological correlations of vitamin E deficiency has hindered interpretation of the findings. 1 Rose and Gyorgy 2 have established that hemolysis of erythrocytes in dilute solutions of hydrogen peroxide can be used as an index of tocopherol deficiency in rats and have reported that some newborn full-term infants show this evidence of deficiency. 3 In previous studies, we have reported the presence of positive hemolysis tests in premature and full-term infants fed partially skimmed cows' milk mixtures, in unfed newborn infants, both full-term and premature, and in infants and children with steatorrhea associated with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas or biliary atresia.* It is the purpose of this report to present data correlating plasma tocopherol levels and hemolysis in