Ceroid pigment formation and irreversible sterility in vitamin E deficiency.

Female rats maintained on a diet deficient in vitamin E for a prolonged period of 100 to 135 days, starting from birth, failed to conceive in spite of repeated matings. Dietary vitamin E supplementation for a period of 60 days following prolonged deficiency was ineffective in reversing the sterility, although a definite growth response was observed. These observations suggest that the tissue damage caused by lipid peroxidation, as evidenced by distinct brown ceroid pigment in the uterus and fallopian tubes, may be responsible for the irreversible loss of fertility observed in the vitamin E-deficient female rats.