A Further Study of the Specificity of the Vitamin E Requirement for Reproduction

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Abstract
A study was carried out to determine whether the ability of certain synthetic antioxidants to substitute for vitamin E in the diet of the female rat is due to a conservation of tocopherols in the diet or tissues, or to a direct substitution for the vitamin in its metabolic role. A highly purified basal diet was devised which was demonstrably free of vitamin E. When this diet was fed to rats of proven sterility, supplementation with the antioxidant DPPD (but not ethoxyquin) was observed to restore reproductivity. Under the conditions used, 0.75 mg of DPPD daily was more effective in this respect than 5 mg of dl-a-tocopheryl acetate. The results support the conclusion that DPPD is capable of direct metabolic substitution for tocopherols in metabolism, and that the function of vitamin E is entirely associated with its antioxidant properties.