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Tocopherol Content of Maternal and Fetal Rat Tissues as Related to Vitamin E Intake during Gestation¹

Department of Anatomy, State University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa

Female Holtzman rats were reared from weaning until the end of gestation on a pure vitamin E-deficient ration. In the positive control group each rat was given daily 2 mg of dl--tocopheryl acetate during the first 5 days of gestation. In the experimental groups, either 2 or 4 mg of the vitamin was given on the 10th day of gestation, whereas in the negative control group no vitamin E supplement was supplied. All rats were autopsied on the 21st day of gestation. Chemical assays of the tocopherol content of maternal and fetal serum and liver as well as the maternal skeletal muscle and the fetal carcasses were carried out. A total of 265 determinations was performed in order to study the changes in the tocopherol levels during pregnancy and the production of abnormal young.

The maternal serum tocopherol level was lowest in the vitamin E-sufficient group, highest in the vitamin E-deficient group and intermediate in the groups with abnormal young. The maternal liver tocopherol generally followed the same trend as the serum with slight modifications, whereas the tocopherol level of the maternal skeletal muscle showed the opposite trend, namely, it was highest in the vitamin E-sufficient group, lowest in the vitamin E-deficient group and intermediate in the groups with abnormal young. There were no significant differences between the tocopherol levels of fetal sera, liver, and carcasses from different groups. The tocopherol levels of the abnormal fetal sera, liver and carcasses were slightly, though not significantly, lower than those of the normal ones from the corresponding groups.

Manuscript received 31 December 1960.