Intimal Lesions in Arteries of Vit. E Deficient Rats.

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Abstract
Aorta and carotid arteries of rats which were subjected to a vitamin E-deficient diet for period of 280 to 450 days were characterized by the presence of intimal changes. The addition of 15-20% vitamin E-free hydrogenated fat to this diet resulted in the acceleration of formation of the lesions so that they began to appear after 150 days. When a daily supplement of pure a -tocopherol was added to the vitamin E-deficient diet of these rats, no lesions were formed. The addition of cholesterol to the diet apparently had no effect on the production or severity of the lesions. The intimal alterations varied from a simple thickening of the endothelium in a localized region to large well formed atheromatous plaques with fibrotic sub-endothelial tissues, which protruded into the lumina of the vessels. A study of 5 additional strains of rats presented data which supported the view that the arterial changes were not due to generic factors of one particular strain.