[Protective effect of alpha-tocopherol on the Ca2+-transport system of the sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes in hypercholesterolemia].

The effect of antioxidant--alpha-tocopherol--on Ca2+-transporting system in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of the rabbit skeletal muscles was studied in hypercholesterolemia (HC). alpha-tocopherol administration to animals with HC produced a break on the curve of temperature dependence of Ca-ATPase activity at about 20 degrees C, that disappeared in HC, increased the rate of "rapid" SH-group binding by thiol reagents, and normalized the level of unsaturated fatty acids in SR membranes without altering phospholipid content. It is suggested that the damage of Ca-ATPase in HC is mainly due to activation of lipid peroxidation.