Phospholipids in artificially induced muscular dystrophy of calves

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Abstract
1. Phospholipds were studied in the heart muscles, skeletal muscles and livers of seven Ayrshire calves which received vitamin E-free maize oil (in filled milk) with and without supplementary α-tocopherol from 1 week old for 17 d. The calves that were not given vitamin E developed muscular dystrophy.2. Decreased amounts of cardiolipin and increased amounts of sphingomyelin were found in the skeletal muscles of vitamin E-deficient calves. There was a significant decrease of phosphatidyl choline in the livers of vitamin E-deficient calves.3. The decrease in cardiolipin concentration confirmed the electron-microscopical picture (reported elsewhere) of preferential destruction of mitochondria in muscular dystrophy of calves.