Effect of lipid antioxidants on rat erythrocyte hemolysis.

Lipid antioxidants, DPPD, DAH, BHT, SQ, retinol and alpha-tocopherol were studied for their effects on normal rat erythrocytes. Retinol, BHT and SQ were found to induce hemolysis while DPPD, DAH and alpha-tocopherol were non-hemolytic. Further more the three antioxidants BHT, SQ and retinol showed a synergistic effect on the lysis. Retinol, BHT or SQ alone, and BHT or SQ along with retinol when administered to rats produced a marked modification of the erythrocyte membrane integrity, simultaneously lowering the levels of membrane bound enzymes--acetyl choline esterase and ATPase. It is concluded that the lipid antioxidants may therefore be classified on the basis of their lytic action in vitro.