Increased Α-tocopherol Levels Research Articles

Transgenic sweetpotato plants overexpressing tocopherol cyclase display enhanced α-tocopherol content and abiotic stress tolerance

Oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) under various environmental stresses significantly reduces plant productivity. Tocopherols (collectively known as vitamin E) are a group of lipophilic antioxidants that protect cellular components against oxidative stress. Previously, we isolated five tocopherol biosynthesis genes from sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) plants, including tocopherol cyclase (IbTC). In this study, we generated transgenic sweetpotato plants overexpressing IbTC under the control of cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter (referred to as TC plants) via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to understand the function of IbTC in sweetpotato. Three transgenic lines (TC2, TC9, and TC11) with high transcript levels of IbTC were selected for further characterization. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that α-tocopherol was the most predominant form of tocopherol in sweetpotato tissues. The content of α-tocopherol was 1.6–3.3-fold higher in TC leaves than in non-transgenic (NT) leaves. No significant difference was observed in the tocopherol content of storage roots between TC and NT plants. Additionally, compared with NT plants, TC plants showed enhanced tolerance to multiple environmental stresses, including salt, drought, and oxidative stresses, and showed consistently higher levels of photosystem II activity and chlorophyll content, indicating abiotic stress tolerance. These results suggest IbTC as a strong candidate gene for the development of sweetpotato cultivars with increased α-tocopherol levels and enhanced abiotic stress tolerance.

Trans-10,cis-12 Conjugated linoleic acid specifically increases tissue α-tocopherol mediated by PPARγ inhibition in mice

C57BL/6J mice were divided into control group (C), CLA, c9t11, or t10c12 groups. CLA and t10c12 significantly increased α-tocopherol levels in the plasma and various tissues in experiment 1. The CLA and t10c12 groups also showed a significant increase in hepatic α-tocopherol transfer protein (α-TTP) levels. In experiment 2, mice were divided into control, CLA, R (rosiglitazone, a PPARγ agonist), or CLA+R groups. Vitamin E levels in the liver, epididymal fat pad, kidney, and plasma were increased by CLA, and this effect was reduced in the CLA+R group. t10,c12-CLA is the most active isomer in the CLA mixture in the regulation of tissue vitamin E status and α-TTP protein levels in mice. The increase in liver vitamin E status in CLA-fed mice is mainly due to the effect of PPARγ inhibition.

Influence of prematurity and birth weight on the concentration of ?-tocopherol in colostrum milk

OBJECTIVE: To assess vitamin E levels in the breast milk, analyzing the prematurity and the birth weight influence in α-tocopherol concentration of colostrum milk. METHODS: Cross-sectional study, in which the colostrum was collected from 93 nursing mothers in a public maternity of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Northeast Brazil. The newborns were classified based on gestational age and birth weight. The analysis of α-tocopherol in the milk was carried out by high performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: The α-tocopherol concentration in the colostrum of lactating women whose children were born at term was 1,093.6±532.4µg/dL; for preterm infants, the concentration was 1,321.6±708.5µg/dL (p=0.109). In the preterm group, the α-tocopherol concentration in the colostrum of lactating women whose children were born with low and normal birth weight was 1,316.0±790.7 and 1,327.2±655.0µg/dL, respectively (p=0.971). In the term group, the α-tocopherol levels were higher in mothers of children with birth weight >4000g, being 1,821.0±575.4µg/dL, compared to 869.5±532.1µg/dL and 1,039.6±477.5µg/dL with low and adequate birth weight, respectively (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Prematurity did not influence α-tocopherol levels in the colostrum milk. Mothers who had macrossomic term neonates presented increased α-tocopherol levels. These results indicate that birth weight can influence α-tocopherol leves in the colostrum milk.

Effects of restricted feeding and antioxidant supplementation on pig performance and quality characteristics of longissimus dorsi muscle from Landrace and Duroc pigs

The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of compensatory growth diets with or without antioxidant inclusion (α-tocopheryl acetate (TA) or green tea catechins (GTC)) on pig performance and quality characteristics of longissimuss dorsi ( LD) muscle from Landrace or Duroc pigs. Breed did not influence pig performance but had a significant effect on pork quality. Duroc muscle had higher intramuscular fat, ash and monounsaturated fatty acid levels and lower levels of moisture compared to Landrace. Lipid and pigment oxidation levels were higher in meat from Landrace pigs at initial stages of the study. Pigs fed restricted diets had reduced growth rates and lower back fat thickness. Decreasing the duration of energy restriction or significantly increasing dietary energy prior to slaughter resulted in compensatory growth. Supplementing diets with α-TA increased α-tocopherol levels in m. LD. Lipid oxidation levels (TBARS values) remained low throughout refrigerated storage. Dietary treatments did not affect colour stability or compositional analysis. Overall, lipid oxidation was highest in meat from pigs fed diets with greatest energy restriction and lowest in meat from pigs fed diets supplemented with α-TA or GTC.

Formation of Composite Carrot (Daucus carota) Populations and Early Cycle Selection for Increased Levels of α-tocopherol, α-carotene and β-carotene

Carotenoids (provitamin A) and tocopherols (vitamin E) are powerful antioxidants in plants and in the human diet. Carrot (Daucus carota) has been selected for increased levels of carotenoids, contributing to its orange color and reported health benefits. Selection for increased tocopherol has shown success in seed oils, but little progress has been made in the edible portions of most vegetable crops. HPLC measurement following a simultaneous heptane extraction of both compounds has shown a significant (P ≤ 0.001) positive correlation of α-tocopherol with α-carotene (r = 0.65) and β-carotene (r = 0.52). To increase both the tocopherols and carotenoids in plants, 3 populations have been established from select open-pollinated varieties grown in 2002. These populations consist of half-sib families with these differing selection schemes: based strictly on increased α-tocopherol levels; an index to increase α-carotene, β-carotene and α-tocopherol; and a random population in which no selection is occurring. After one cycle of selection, populations were grown on muck soil during the summer of 2003. Compared with the random population, an increase of 24.68% in α-tocopherol concentration was recorded for the population selected strictly on α-tocopherol while increases of 8.47% in α-tocopherol, 9.31% in α-carotene and 7.31% in β-carotene were recorded for the population with index selection. The continuation of these carrot populations shows promise to produce carrot germplasm with improved human nutritive value.

Docosahexaenoic acid-deficient phosphatidyl serine and high α-tocopherol in a fetal mouse brain over-expressing Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase

The over-expressed Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) gene has been found in some circumstances phenotypically deleterious and associated with oxidative injury-mediated aberrations while in other studies it was considered neuroprotective. In this work we examine a number of biochemical markers in fetal and adult brain from transgenic (tg) mice expressing the human Cu/Zn-SOD gene, which may determine this dual characteristic. These markers include the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) profile in discrete phospholipid species, the α-tocopherol levels, a marker for lipid anti-oxidant status, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), a marker for the tissue oxidative status. The PUFA profile in choline- and ethanolamine-phosphoglycerides was similar in tg and nontransgenic (ntg) animals of either fetal or adult brain. Serine-phosphoglycerides, however, showed a marked decrease from 20.07±0.53 to 14.92±0.87 wt% and 14.52±1.15 wt% in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6 n3), in the tg 51 and tg 69 fetal brains, respectively, but not in the comparable adult tissues. The α-tocopherol levels were significantly higher in the fetal compared to the adult brain. There were no differences in the anti-oxidant levels between the ntg and tg fetal brains, but there were differences in the adult animals; the tg mice were higher by at least two-fold than the control animals. The basal TBARS in the tg 51 fetal brain was 35% lower than that of ntg mouse and in the presence of Fe 2+, brain slices from the former released less TBARS (57% reduction) into the medium than the latter. These results suggest that higher dosages of Cu/Zn-SOD gene are compatible with increased α-tocopherol levels, reduced basal TBARS levels and a DHA deficiency in the fetal, but not the adult, tg brain.