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Studies on the Kidney in Vitamin E Deficiency¹

I. Post-Mortem Autolysis in Kidneys of Rats Fed a Vitamin E-Deficient Diet Rich in Long-Chain Unsaturated Fatty Acids

Department of Anatomy, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York

1. Weanling rats were transferred to a vitamin E-deficient diet in which 30% of the caloric value was supplied as the free fatty acids obtained from linseed oil. Controls receiving 25 mg of -tocopheryl acetate twice weekly showed no abnormalities during a period of nearly two years.

2. A newly recognized renal manifestation of vitamin E deficiency is described: in animals kept for 6 weeks or longer on the vitamin E-deficient regimen the rate of post-mortem autolysis in the kidney is markedly increased. This abnormality is most conspicuous in the proximal convoluted tubules and is characterized by more extensive histologic changes and more rapid rise in tissue NPN.

3. A relatively high intake of unsaturated fatty acids appears to be necessary for the development of this renal abnormality, since the latter was not found in animals whose diet contained lard in place of the linseed fatty acids.

4. The renal abnormality is completely prevented by the prophylactic administration of -tocopheryl acetate; but when it has become established the abnormality is not readily reversible by tocopherol therapy.

5. These findings indicate an interrelationship between vitamin E and the role of unsaturated lipids in the structural and functional organization of the kidney.

Manuscript received 16 July 1956.