Effect of age on vitamin E concentrations in various regions of the brain and a few selected peripheral tissues of the rat, and on the uptake of radioactive vitamin E by various regions of rat brain.

The concentrations of tocopherols in selected areas of the brains and a few peripheral tissues of 3-, 14-, and 30-month-old male Fischer 344 rats were determined by a high-performance liquid chromatographic method. Throughout the time period studied, alpha-tocopherol was the only tocopherol detected in the brain. Concentrations of alpha-tocopherol increased significantly with age in medulla and spinal cord whereas no such change was seen in other brain areas. Among the peripheral tissues, total tocopherol concentrations increased with age in the liver and adipose tissue while no significant changes were observed in the heart. The pattern of uptake of radioactive alpha-tocopherol from the serum by the various areas of the brain was similar for the 3- and 14-month-old animals even though the brains from the 14-month-old animals took up less of the radioactive compound. Measurable amounts of tocopherol esters were not present in the tissues of the 30-month-old animals.