Short-term parenteral application of α-tocopherol leads to increased concentration in plasma and tissues of the rat

Numerous studies suggest that supplemental vitamin E prior to or during vast surgeries might diminish or even prevent ischemia/reperfusion-induced injuries. In the present placebo-controlled study male Sprague-Dawley rats were supplemented parenterally or orally with alpha-tocopherol for three consecutive days. The applied amount of alpha-tocopherol was 2.3 mu mol per day for oral and 1.2 mu mol per day for parenteral supplementation. The enrichment of vitamin E concentrations in plasma and tissue samples (aortic endothelium,liver, and lung) was determined by HPLC. The vitamin E level was elevated following intravenous supplementation in plasma (21.4 +/- 1.9 mu mol/L vs. 10.2 +/- 1.7 mu mol/L in parenteral control group), in aortic endothelium (1.1 +/- 0.2 pmol/mm(2) vs. 0.5 +/- 0.1 pmol/mm(2)) and in liver and lung (41.3 +/- 7.5 pmol/mg vs. 22.9 +/- 6.5 pmol/mg and 75.6 +/- 13.6 pmol/mg vs. 51.7 +/- 5.9 pmol/mg, respectively). Oral supplementation for three days also led to an increased level in liver (38.2 +/- 7.7 pmol/mg vs. 22.9 +/- 6.6 pmol/mg in oral control group) and in lung (67.8 +/- 5.7 pmol/mg vs. 51.7 +/- 9.3 pmol/mg) but not in aortic endothelium or plasma (0.8 +/- 0.3 pmol/mm(2) vs. 0.6 +/- 0.3 pmol/mm(2) and 12.0 +/- 2.2 mu mol/L vs. 10.7 +/- 2.6 mu mol/L).