Biochemical Alterations in the Skeletal Muscle of Vitamin E Deficient Rats

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Abstract
Rats were fed a vitamin E deficient diet for 5–10 weeks and the energy state of the hind leg muscle was examined. Both creatine phosphate and ATP were decreased by 64 and 22% of the control values, respectively, in the skeletal muscles of rats on the vitamin E deficient diet for 10 weeks, whereas ADP was increased by more than 100% without any significant changes in the level of AMP. The ratios ATP/ADP and ATP/AMP also declined markedly in the hind leg muscles of the rats on the vitamin E deficient diet for 10 weeks. The concentrations of NAD+ and NADPH decreased, whereas no significant changes in the levels of NADH and NADP+ were observed in the muscles of vitamin E deficient animals. Feeding a normal diet for 4 weeks to rats previously on the vitamin E deficient diet was found to restore the energy state of the muscle towards normal. Although no changes in the ultrastructure of the skeletal muscle were apparent, the levels of lactate and pyruvate as well as the lactate/pyruvate ratio were increased in vitamin E deficiency. The activities of lactate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase were decreased whereas α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity did not change significantly. These results indicate a dramatic alteration in skeletal muscle metabolism of vitamin E deficient rats. It is suggested that such a change may partly be due to a defect in the process of energy production.

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