Increased level of L-ascorbic acid in the plasma of poly-chlorobiphenyls-treated rats and its inhibition by dietary vitamin E.

One-month-old male rats were fed a basal vitamin E deficient diet with or without 100 ppm vitamin E supplementation for 11 weeks and were injected intraperitoneally with either 500mg/kg body weight of polychlorobiphenyls (PCB) in sesame oil or equivalent amount of sesame oil. Five days after PCB treatment, the level of total L-ascorbic acid in the plasma of vitamin E deficient rats increased 69% (p less than 0.001) as compared with 26% (p less than 0.01) of the supplemented group. The dehydro form of ascorbic acid increased 111% (p less than 0.001) and 33% (p less than 0.01), respectively, in the plasma of PCB treated rats maintained on the vitamin E deficient and supplemented diets. The levels of reduced ascorbic acid and of vitamin E in plasma were not significantly altered by PCB in both groups of animals. The results suggest that dietary vitamin E may modify cellular susceptibility to PCB toxicity.