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Vitamin E Activity of -Tocopherol in the Rat, Chick and Hamster

Laboratory of Nutrition and Endocrinology, National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014

The purpose of this study was to reevaluate the vitamin E activity of -tocopherol relative to -tocopherol in several species of animals (literature values range from 1 to 25%). In the prevention of liver necrosis in the rat, d--tocopheryl acetate had a relative potency compared with d--tocopheryl acetate of 5.7 ± 1.5%, when computed from individual survival times. When - and -tocopherols were fed as mixtures, comparison of the incidence of liver necrosis indicated a relative activity for -tocopherol of 13 to 16%. There was evidence that an interaction between the two tocopherols occurred. In the prevention of chick exudative diathesis, -tocopherol had an indicated relative activity of 8 and 9% in two trials. Comparison of the two tocopherols for their ability to prevent chick muscle dystrophy and the accompanying elevation in serum creatine phosphokinase indicated a relative activity of about 10% for -tocopherol. In a single experiment with hamsters, the comparison was based on the prevention of testicular degeneration and the maintenance of serum creatine phosphokinase levels. By both criteria, -tocopherol showed about 5% activity. On the basis of the more extensive rat and chick experiments, it is concluded that the relative activity of -tocopherol is from 6 to 16% that of -tocopherol.

KEY WORDS: • gamma tocopherol biopotency • vitamin E activity • tocopherol bioassay

Manuscript received 10 December 1973.

This article has been cited by other articles:

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