Measurement and Spectral Characteristics of Fluorescent Pigments in Tissues of Rats as a Function of Dietary Polyunsaturated Fats and Vitamin E

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Abstract
The effect of dietary polyunsaturated fats and vitamin E on accumulation in rats of fluorescent ceroid and lipofuscin-like pigments was studied by fluorescence measurements of tissue lipid extracts. Rats fed 10% lard and 1% cod-liver oil diets without added vitamin E for 4 months accumulated twice the fluorescent pigments as those fed the same diet but supplemented with 45 mg vitamin E per kilogram diet. Accumulation of pigments in adipose of rats fed 15.7% corn oil or cod-liver oil diets was inversely proportional to the dietary vitamin E concentration; the adipose of animals fed cod-liver oil had approximately three times the fluorescence of adipose from animals fed corn oil. Bone marrow, heart and spleen of rats fed vitamin E-deficient cod-liver oil diets accumulated more fluorescent pigment than vitamin E-supplemented rats. The fluorescent pigments had excitation maxima at 360 to 390 nm and fluorescence maxima at 430 to 470 nm. Weight gain was proportional to dietary vitamin E, especially that of rats fed cod-liver oil diets. The data suggests that tissue extraction and fluorescence quantitation can be used successfully as an index of fluorescent ceroid and lipofuscin-like pigment accumulation.