Tocopherol level in human fetal and infant liver.
This investigation was undertaken to decide if tocopherol is actually depleted in the fetus and newborn infant by measuring liver tocopherol level. First, a reliable assay method was established as follows. The colorimetric values obtained by Emmerie-Engel's principle from liver extracts which were eluted through a floridine column were corrected by using the ratios of the tocopherol band area to the ratios of the tocopherol band area to the total scanning values of TLC analysis by densitometry carried out simultaneously. The recovery of tocopherol added to the liver homogenate was always greater than 90%, as measured in this procedure. Thus, tocopherol levels were determined in the human fetal, infant and adult liver with this method. The levels were very low in the fetal liver even though they gradually increased throughout fetal life. After birth, a slight elevation in tocopherol levels was observed during infancy when compared with those in fetal life, but they were still one-third or less of the adult level.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D004355:Drug Stability; D005260:Female; D005615:Freezing; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008099:Liver / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000378:metabolism*
D014810:Vitamin E