title: Modification of hepatic vitamin E stores in vivo. II. Alterations in plasma and liver vitamin E content by 1,2-dibromoethane.
abstract: Previous studies with methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP), a radical generator, showed depletion of plasma vitamin E and liver glutathione (GSH) levels prior to a decrease of liver vitamin E levels. Since hepatic pools of this vitamin may serve to maintain circulating levels of vitamin E under conditions of oxidative challenge, we have evaluated the similarity of response after treatment with 1,2-dibromoethane (DBE), a compound that is not known to generate oxyradicals or to induce lipid peroxidation in vivo. Treatment of normal rats with DBE caused a depletion in hepatic vitamin E levels 1 day after treatment; however, in contrast to our prior findings with MEKP this depletion after DBE treatment was observed in tandem with elevations in the plasma content of vitamin E. Liver vitamin E depletion was neither dependent upon a sustained liver GSH depletion nor upon hepatocellular death. Mobilization and export of hepatic vitamin E did not result in an immediate whole body redistribution of this vitamin in that pulmonary and renal levels of vitamin E remained normal under conditions of liver vitamin E depletion. Moreover, the stimulus that resulted in exportation of liver vitamin E was maintained by daily treatments with DBE. DBE caused a substantial elevation above control values in liver GSH content and these elevations were also maintained by daily DBE treatments. In experiments to assess the influence of prandial replacement of vitamin E on the extent of depletion in response to DBE treatment, rats were fed a vitamin E-deficient diet for 2 days prior to treatment. This short pulse of a vitamin E-deficient diet delayed (to 2 days) both the elevation in liver GSH content and the depletion of liver vitamin E and hastened (to 1 day) the elevation in plasma vitamin E concentration. These observations suggest the presence of at least two pools of liver vitamin E and that one of these pools, which comprises at least 30% of the total hepatic vitamin E content, is able to be mobilized and exported in response to chemical challenge. The stimulus that resulted in liver vitamin E exportation in response to DBE treatment seems to result from wholly intrahepatic processes and may not be a direct response to lipid peroxidation. Moreover, the similarity between the time-course and the extent of hepatic vitamin E depletion observed after treatment with either MEKP or DBE suggests a similarity in physiochemical processes that function to mobilize hepatic vitamin E stores.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis 97330-6503.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Reed
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D015946:Ethylene Dibromide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values; D013997:Time Factors; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E; D015946:Ethylene Dibromide; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D005978:Glutathione