Comparative Effects of Certain Antioxidants on Gestational Performance and Teratogeny in Vitamin E-deficient Rats

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Abstract
In an effort to elucidate the mechanism of function of vitamin E, many substitutes with antioxidant activities have been used. Many of these nontocopherol substances, when fed to vitamin E-deficient animals, acted like a tocopherol in preventing, ameliorating or relieving deficiency symptoms. Three of these substances, N, N′-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD), N-propyl gallate (NPG), and 1,2-dihydro-6-ethoxy-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline (EMQ) were used to test their effects on the incidence of congenital malformations in vitamin E-deficient rats. It was found that all 3 antioxidants reduced the incidence of congenital abnormalities by promoting the production of normal young. Judged by the criteria of increase in the incidence of normal young with concurrent decrease in the incidence of resorption and the non-occurrence of congenital abnormalities in the groups fed the antioxidants in the rations at the 0.025% level in the absence of vitamin E, DPPD showed the most antioxidant potency. EMQ was the next, and NPG was the least potent of all. However, the gestational performances of the groups receiving either 2 or 10 mg of vitamin E in addition to the antioxidants at this level appears to indicate that EMQ was superior to DPPD. At 0.05% level, DPPD was shown to be superior to EMQ, as evidenced by the gestational performances of all groups of rats.

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