Tissue vitamin E levels and lipofuscin accumulation with age in the mouse.

To study the deposition of lipofuscin (age pigment) in relation to tissue Vitamin E content a small colony of C3H and LAF mice was set up, one-half being fed a supplement of 0.25% w/w Vitamin E. At intervals between 2.5 and 28 months of age samples of the stock were culled to allow the fluorimetric determination of lipofuscin in heart muscle and an assay of Vitamin E levels in liver tissue. Vitamin E levels in the supplemented stock were found to be 4 X those of the controls although dietary intake was 250 X control. Lipofuscin levels of supplemented stock were lower than controls throughout the lifespan culminating at 28 months when the levels were consistent with the 23 month levels of the controls. Lack of any concomitant effects on longevity, however, raises doubts concerning the relevence of lipid peroxidation to the aging process in the organism as a whole.