title: Vitamin E in young and old human red blood cells .
abstract: Young and old human red blood cells contain about the same amount of alpha-tocopherol, a compound which has previously been shown to be the major lipid-soluble, chain-breaking antioxidant present in such cells. Since red blood cells lose up to ca. 20% of lipid material from their membrane as they age, the alpha-tocopherol/membrane-lipid ratio actually rises with age rather than declining as might have been expected on the basis of the free radical theory of aging. The alpha-tocopherol/arachidonic acid moiety ratios increase in the order: young red blood cells less than old red blood cells less than plasma, which argues against the suggested membrane stabilizing effect of alpha-tocopherol/arachidonic acid moiety complexes.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000097:blood; D002469:Cell Separation; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004905:Erythrocyte Aging; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D005227:Fatty Acids; D014810:Vitamin E; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D002784:Cholesterol