title: Tissue alpha-tocopherol status during late fetal and early neonatal life of the guinea-pig.
abstract: The alpha-tocopherol content of a number of different fetal, neonatal and maternal guinea-pig tissues was determined and compared with plasma and erythrocyte alpha-tocopherol values. During late gestation, the fetal liver appears to act as a storage site for alpha-tocopherol, the majority of which is released immediately following birth. In contrast, lung and brain vitamin E levels are relatively constant over the final period of gestation and during early neonatal life. The ontogeny of alpha-tocopherol in brain and lung was similar to that for erythrocytes while plasma alpha-tocopherol content varied considerably and did not accurately reflect tissue alpha-tocopherol status. Surprisingly, fetal and maternal lung alpha-tocopherol concentrations were similar at all time-points considered, whereas fetal liver alpha-tocopherol status was always considerably greater than maternal liver alpha-tocopherol content. These results, if representative of the human fetus, suggest that preterm infants may not have tissue alpha-tocopherol concentrations as low as previously assumed and that during the perinatal period erythrocyte alpha-tocopherol content is a more accurate indicator of tissue alpha-tocopherol concentration than plasma alpha-tocopherol content.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Safavi
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Cheeseman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E