K. Tanaka et al., INTERACTIONS BETWEEN VITAMIN-C AND VITAMIN-E ARE OBSERVED IN TISSUES OF INHERENTLY SCORBUTIC RATS, The Journal of nutrition, 127(10), 1997, pp. 2060-2064
To investigate in vivo interactions between antioxidant vitamins C and
E, sparing effects of vitamin C on vitamin E as well as those of vita
min E on vitamin C were evaluated using inherently scorbutic [Osteogen
ic Disorder Shionogi (ODS)] rats. Rats were divided into four groups (
control, vitamin E-deficient, vitamin C-deficient and simultaneously v
itamins C and E-deficient). The levels of vitamins C and E in tissues
were determined at 0, 14 and 21 d of deficiency. On d 14, the vitamin
E concentration in plasma, liver, brain and lung of the vitamin C-defi
cient group was significantly lower than that of the control, in agree
ment with the literature concerning the sparing of vitamin E by ascorb
ate. The vitamin E concentration of the vitamin C-deficient group also
was significantly lower in plasma, heart, liver, lung and kidney than
that of the control group on d 21. On the basis of two-way ANOVA, sig
nificant interactions between vitamins C and E were observed on d 21 f
or vitamin E concentration in these tissues. The ascorbate level in pl
asma, heart, liver, muscle and kidney of the vitamin E-deficient group
was significantly lower than that of the corresponding control group
on d 21. Significant interactions between vitamins C and E were observ
ed on d 21 for vitamin C concentration in these tissues. These results
suggest a sparing effect of vitamin E on vitamin C, an effect that wa
s observed for the first time in this study. These results suggest tha
t the interaction between vitamins C and E exists in vivo and that the
extent of the interaction depends on the tissue. Thiobarbituric acid
reactive substances (TBARS) in plasma and liver of the vitamin C-defic
ient rats were significantly higher than those of the control and the
vitamin E-deficient groups on d 21, suggesting that the deficiency of
vitamin C caused a larger increase in oxidative stress than the defici
ency of vitamin E. TEARS of the liver in rats deficient in both vitami
ns C and E were significantly higher than those in all other groups, s
uggesting an additive effect of the deficiencies of vitamins C and E o
n hepatic TEARS. These data suggest that in vivo, vitamins E and C int
eract, and each can exert sparing effects in the absence of the other.