Vitamin E in young and old human red blood cells

Abstract

Young and old human red blood cells contain about the same amount of α-tocopherol, a compound which has previously been shown to be the major lipid-soluble, chain-breaking antioxidant present in such cells. Since red blood cells lose up to ca. 20% of lipid material from their membrane as they age, the α-tocopherol/ membrane-lipid ratio actually rises with age rather than declining as might have been expected on the basis of the free radical theory of aging. The α-tocopherol/arachidonic acid moiety ratios increase in the order: young red blood cells /lt; old red blood cells /lt; plasma, which argues against the suggested membrane 177 stabilizing effect of α-tocopherol/arachidonic acid moiety complexes.