Erythrocyte characteristics in vitamin E-responsive anemia of the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus).

To characterize the vitamin E-responsive anemia occurring in owl monkeys (Aotus trivirgatus), osmotic fragility, and H2O2-induced and time-dependent hemolysis, as well as RBC lipid peroxidation, were compared in anemic and nonanemic owl monkeys. Whereas vitamin E serves as a lipid-soluble antioxidant, the glutathione peroxidase system functions in the water-soluble phase of the cell. Thus, activity of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, as well as reduced glutathione concentrations in owl monkeys' RBC, were compared with those of rhesus macaques and cebus and squirrel monkeys fed the same diet and maintained under the same management scheme. Osmotic fragility did not differ between anemic and nonanemic owl monkeys. The H2O2-induced and time-dependent hemolysis was approximately 10-fold greater among anemia owl monkeys than among their nonanemic counterparts, and lipid peroxidation values tended to be higher in the anemic monkeys. Owl monkeys, as a species and independent of anemia, exhibited higher RBC peroxidation than did 2 other New World species, cebus and squirrel monkeys. The glutathione peroxidase system was not depressed in owl monkey RBC. The only observed difference in this system was in the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, which was 3- to 6-fold higher in the owl monkey than in the other species, indicating an increased activity of the peroxidase system. Thus, a defect in the glutathione peroxidase system could not be identified.