Effects of dietary vitamin E and high level of ascorbic acid on iron distribution in rat tissues.

The effects of dietary vitamin E and high-level supplementation of ascorbic acid on iron distribution in rat tissues were studied. Weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats, fed ad libitum a vitamin E and ascorbic acid free basal diet, were divided into four groups. They were supplemented with 0 or 45 IU/kg diet of vitamin E, and O or 0.2% ascorbic acid in a 2 X 2 complete factorial design. After 12 weeks, rats were killed; blood, liver, spleen, heart and skeletal muscle were collected for analysis. Vitamin E deficiency resulted in significantly decreased plasma iron levels and total iron binding capacity. The total iron and nonheme iron contents of the liver and spleen were significantly higher in the vitamin E-deficient groups compared with control groups. Vitamin E or ascorbic acid supplementation had no effect on iron content of the heart. Non-heme iron levels on per gram tissue were highest in the skeletal muscle of the group to which no vitamin E or ascorbic acid were supplemented. It appears that vitamin E and ascorbic acid interactively affect the iron distribution in rat tissues.