Relationship between red blood cell and liver tocopherol concentration after administration and depletion of vitamin E.

As the assessment of the nutritional status of vitamin E, the validity of red blood cell (RBC) tocopherol concentration was examined in relation to tocopherol concentration in the liver and in its subcellular fractions. When 10 mg/kg of dl-alpha-tocopherol was injected intramuscularly to vitamin E deficient rats, plasma tocopherol reached a maximum level earlier than did RBC tocopherol and liver tocopherol. However, as the correlation in tocopherol concentrations between RBC and plasma and between RBC and tissue homogenate or its subcellular fractions was examined with respect to all the values examines during the study courses, a moderately close correlation was observed between RBC and liver tissue and between RBC and the subcellular fractions while a lack of correlation was found between RBC and plasma. When rats sufficient in vitamin E were depleted for 8 weeks by a vitamin E deficient diet, tocopherol concentrations decreased in a similar pattern in the plasma, RBC, and liver and its subcellular fractions. In this case, a very close correlation in the tocopherol concentrations was observed between RBC and other subjects, i.e., the plasma, liver homogenate and its subcellular fractions.