title: A vitamin E-deficient diet affects nerve regeneration in rats.
abstract: Degenerative changes in the neuromuscular system have been found in animals and humans with vitamin E (E) deficiency. This morphologic study examined the effect of dietary E on the regeneration of peripheral nerves in male Sprague-Dawley rats. After feeding an E-sufficient diet (dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate 50 mg/kg diet) for 6 d, 24 rats were randomly and equally assigned to one of three groups: control (CTRL) fed an E-sufficient diet for 43 d without surgery, normal (NE) fed an E-sufficient diet, or low (LE) fed an E-deficient diet (dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate 0 mg/kg diet). After 22 d of feeding, NE and LE had surgical compression of the right sciatic nerve and continued eating for 15 d. On day 43, the right triceps surae muscles and a segment of the right sciatic nerve were removed, then all rats were euthanized. The nerve and muscles were processed for morphologic analyses. Presurgery and postsurgery LE ate less food (P < 0.048 and P < 0.001, respectively), which resulted in a lower body weight gain (P < 0.0002). LE had irregularly shaped and less myelinated axons than NE (P < 0.0001) and CTRL (P < 0.0001). The LE plantaris muscle had less type II fibers when compared with NE (P < 0.007) and CTRL (P < 0.03). The results suggest that an E-deficient diet affects food intake, impairs nerve regeneration, and decreases type II fibers, whereas an E-sufficient diet contributes to normal axon regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, Florida International University, Miami, USA.
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Enrione
authors.forename: O I
authors.initials: OI
authors.lastname: Weeks
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kranz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004032:Diet; D004435:Eating; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*