SERUM TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, HIGH-DENSITY-LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL AND TRIGLYCERIDE CONCENTRATIONS IN LAMBS FOLLOWING SUPPLEMENTATION WITH VARIOUS FORMS OF TOCOPHEROL

A 61 -d study involving 40 crossbred lambs evaluated the effect of var ious forms of tocopherol provided daily in equimolar amounts on total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglyceride con centrations in the serum of lambs. Thirty-five lambs were allotted to 7 treatment groups of 5 animals each, supplemented with 300 mg tocophe rol either as: 1) DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate; 2) D-alpha-tocopheryl a cetate; 3) D-alpha-tocopheryl succinate, 4) D-alpha-tocopheryl polyeth ylene glycol 1 000 succinate (TPGS); 5) DL-alpha-tocopheryl nicotinate ; 6) DL-alpha-tocopheryl nicotinate (i 50 mg) +/- 150 mg TPGS; and 7-D -alpha-tocopheryl acetate (1 50 mg) +/- 150 mg TPGS mixed with the com mercial flock diet. In addition, another group of 5 lambs were used as control (no vitamin E supplementation). Dietary supplementation of va rious vitamin E sources resulted in no overall treatment effects for t otal cholesterol, triglycerides or high density lipoprotein-cholestero l. A significant variation was noticed among animals. The levels of al l measured serum components varied throughout the experimental period (P < 0.0001). The day x treatment interaction was not significant (P > 0.05) for any serum measured component. The present data strongly sug gest that short-term treatment (< 2 mo) with pharmacological oral dose s of various forms of vitamin E did not influence serum lipid metaboli sm of lambs. The data also showed that the bioavailability of alpha-to copherol is dependent on the form administered. D-alpha-tocopherol ace tate is a highly available form, the bioavailability of which is furth er increased when combined with D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate.