title: Sesamin (a compound from sesame oil) increases tocopherol levels in rats fed ad libitum.
abstract: Six groups of rats were fed diets low, but adequate, in alpha-tocopherol but high in gamma-tocopherol. The six diets differed only in their contents (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 g/kg, respectively) of sesamin, a lignan from sesame oil. After four weeks of ad libitum feeding, the rats were sacrificed and the concentrations of alpha- and gamma-tocopherols were measured in the plasma, livers, and lungs. Sesamin-feeding increased gamma-tocopherol and gamma-/alpha-tocopherol ratios in the plasma (P < 0.05), liver (P < 0.001), and lungs (P < 0.001). The increase was non-significant for alpha-tocopherol. Thus, sesamin appears to spare gamma-tocopherol in rat plasma and tissues, and this effect persists in the presence of alpha-tocopherol, a known competitor to gamma-tocopherol. This suggests that the bioavailability of gamma-tocopherol is enhanced in phenol-containing diets as compared with purified diets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kamal-Eldin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pettersson
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Appelqvist
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D004149:Dioxoles / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017705:Lignans; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012715:Sesame Oil; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004149:Dioxoles; D017705:Lignans; D014810:Vitamin E; D012715:Sesame Oil; C054125:sesamin