Sesame seed lignans and gamma-tocopherol act synergistically to produce vitamin E activity in rats.
Vitamin E activity of sesame seed, which contains only gamma-tocopherol, a compound that has vitamin E activity equal to only 6-16% that of alpha-tocopherol, was examined in two experiments. In the first experiment, groups of rats were fed four diets: vitamin E-free control diet, alpha-tocopherol-containing diet, gamma-tocopherol-containing diet and sesame seed-containing diet. Changes in red blood cell hemolysis, plasma pyruvate kinase activity, and peroxides in plasma and liver, as indices of vitamin E activity, were examined. The sesame seed diet has high vitamin E activity, whereas this activity was low in the gamma-tocopherol diet. In plasma and liver, alpha-tocopherol was found in high concentration only in the alpha-tocopherol-fed group, and gamma-tocopherol was found in high concentration only in the sesame seed-fed group, with negligible amounts of gamma-tocopherol in liver of the gamma-tocopherol-fed group. In the second experiment, two diets containing sesame lignan (sesaminol or sesamin) and gamma-tocopherol were tested. Results in both of the sesame lignan-fed groups were comparable to those observed in the sesame seed-fed group in Experiment 1. These experiments indicate that gamma-tocopherol in sesame seed exerts vitamin E activity equal to that of alpha-tocopherol through a synergistic interaction with sesame seed lignans.
Yamashita
K
K
Department of Food and Nutrition, School of Life Studies, Sugiyama Jogakuen University, Nagoya, Japan.
Nohara
Y
Y
Katayama
K
K
Namiki
M
M
D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D004149:Dioxoles / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005663:Furans / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006461:Hemolysis; D017705:Lignans; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010545:Peroxides / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D011770:Pyruvate Kinase / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*
D004149:Dioxoles; D005663:Furans; D017705:Lignans; D010545:Peroxides; D014810:Vitamin E; C066016:sesaminol; D011770:Pyruvate Kinase; C054125:sesamin