LIPID-PEROXIDATION IN THE LUNG OF RATS EXPOSED TO ENDOTOXIN - EFFECT OF VITAMIN-E SUPPLEMENTATION

The aim of this work was to investigate the possibility for developmen t of peroxidation in the lung of rats injected with endotoxin. The eff ect of vitamin E supplementation of the rats was also investigated. Vi tamin E supplementation by itself did not cause visible differences or any pathological changes in the lung structure of rats as shown by ro utine histological examinations. The endotoxin-induced alterations of the lung structures were well expressed in vitamin E-nonsupplemented r ats, while they were rather negligible in vitamin E-supplemented rats. It was established also that endotoxin caused a 50% increase of the c onjugated dienes in the lung of vitamin E-non-supplemented rats. For v itamin E-supplemented rats this increase was less than 13.5%. The fluo rescent lipofuscine-like products of lipid peroxidation (known as one of the end products of lipid peroxidation) increased by 120% in vitami n E-non-supplemented rats after exposure to endotoxin, while in vitami n E-supplemented rats this increase did not exceed 26%. Exposure to en dotoxin of both vitamin E-non-supplemented and vitamin E-supplemented rats did not lead to significant changes of the lung fatty acid compos ition. On the basis of these results we assumed that the endotoxin-ind uced changes of lung structures involve, al least in part, free radica l-mediated damage of the lung membrane lipids and proteins.