The effect of vitamin E on the preservation of blood.

Abstract

By observing the effects of tocopherylacetate (Toc-ac) and tocopheryl glycolate (Toc-glyc) on the stored citrate-phosphate-dextrose (CPD) blood and the blood added with EDTA-K3, the following results were obtained.1. By adding 10, 20, and 50mg, respectively, of Toc-ac per 100ml or 20 and 50mg Toc-glyc per 100ml, a daily decline of osmotic resistance of erythrocytes in the CPD-stored blood could be suppressed to a certain extent.The range of effects revealed that 50mg per 100ml was the greatest in effectiveness and that Toc-ac and Toc-glyc had almost the same effectiveness.2. It was found that the preservative action of Toc-ac and Toc-glyc for the osmotic resistance of erythrocytes was not due to the action of the solvent in tocopherol.3. With respect to the specimens added with 10 or 20mg per 100ml of Toc-ac, more erythrocytes with normal morphology were observed on the 7th day after the blood sampling, and in the former there was no difference from the one added with the solvent. That is, the residual rate of normal erythrocytes in both cases was somewhat higher, and the solvent itself seemed to have more or less preservative effectiveness in a comparatively short period. In the specimens added with 20 and 50mg of Toc-glyc per 100ml, the residual rate of erythrocytes with normal morphology showed the same high value on the 6th day after the blood sampling, when compared with the group without addition and the group added with the solvent.4. Both in the CPD blood added with 10, 20 and 50mg per 100ml of Toc-ac, 20 and 50mg per 100ml, respectively, of Toc-glyc and in the EDTA blood added with 50mg per 100ml of Toc-ac, the decrease of the number of leucocytes after the blood sampling was suppressed to a certain extent. Moreover in the latter group, there was neither the relative decrease of granulocytes in the differential count of leucocytes nor the increase of lymphocytes observed for 6 hours after the blood sampling.5. Tocopherol added group showed the tendency of a hourly decrease of thrombocytes depressed in the EDTA blood. Furthermore, the preservative effect on the morphology of thrombocytes in the same group was comparatively good.