Vitamin E deficiency alters the in vivo Rb+ discrimination of rat brain cortical cells.
The in vivo Rb+ uptake and release of rat brain cortical cells of 11-months-old rats fed with a vitamin E deficient diet was investigated. The animals were treated with a daily dose of 30 mg RbCl/100 g body weight for 14 days. After discontinuation of the RbCl treatment the animals were killed at intervals of 2, 4, 9 and 15 days, respectively. The intracellular Rb+ and K+ contents were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis, whereas concentrations of these two ions were determined by atomic absorbtion spectrophotometry in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Vitamin E deficient rats accumulate more Rb+ than age-matched normally fed animals at any time taken into account. Rb+-discrimination ratios calculated on the basis of Rb+ and K+ contents of both, cortical cell cytoplasm and cerebrospinal fluid, are higher in vitamin E deficient rats than in the controls (+20%), which supports the view that the enhanced membrane lipid peroxidation induced by vitamin E deficiency impairs the passive membrane permeability for Rb+ (and K+).
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005609:Free Radicals; D008054:Lipid Peroxides / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000378:metabolism; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012413:Rubidium / Q000378:metabolism*; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*
D005609:Free Radicals; D008054:Lipid Peroxides; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D012413:Rubidium; D011188:Potassium