In vivo effects of vitamin E deficiency on the intracellular monovalent electrolyte concentrations in brain and liver of rat. An energy dispersive X-ray microanalytic study.
Vitamin E is known to play a protective role for cell membranes against free-radical attacks. Vitamin E deficiency causes a rapid macroscopic ageing of rats. On the other hand, during normal ageing, cell membranes undergo functional alterations resulting in an increased intracellular potassium concentration in brain and liver cells. Therefore, is was of interest to study whether vitamin E deficiency produces similar alterations in young rats. Female Wistar rats were fed with a vitamin E deficient diet from 1 month of age for 10 months. The parietal brain cortex and the liver were analyzed by means of a quantitative energy dispersive X-ray microanalytic method using a JEOL JSM-35C-EDAX-711-NOVA-3 system. Monovalent electrolyte contents as well as the water content of the cells were determined in 5 treated and 5 control animals. Water content was measured by analyzing the potassium content in aqueous, frozen state, and again in the dry mass of the cells. On the basis of these data, a computer program calculated the water proportions. Average values for 200 or more cells of each organ per group revealed a significant increase in the intracellular potassium content of the brain cells, whereas the sodium and chloride contents increased to a much lower extent. There was a 2.6% loss of intracellular water in the brain cells in the vitamin E deficient group. The liver monovalent ions and water content remained unchanged. The results obtained are discussed in terms of the membrane hypothesis of ageing.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D002712:Chlorides / Q000378:metabolism*; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004577:Electron Probe Microanalysis; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism*; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism
D002712:Chlorides; D014867:Water; D012964:Sodium; D011188:Potassium