Effect of dietary vitamin E levels on fatty acid profiles and nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation in the guinea pig liver.

Guinea pigs were fed for five weeks with three diets containing different levels of vitamin E: LOW (but nondeficient, 15 mg of vitamin E/kg diet), MEDIUM (150 mg/kg diet), and HIGH (1,500 mg/kg diet). Dietary vitamin E supplementation did not change oxidative stress indicators in the hydrophilic compartment but increased liver alpha-tocopherol in a dose-dependent way and strongly decreased sensitivity to nonenzymatic in vitro liver lipid peroxidation. This last effect was already observed in group MEDIUM, and no further decrease in in vitro lipid peroxidation occurred from group MEDIUM to group HIGH. The protective effect of vitamin E against in vitro lipid peroxidation was observed even though an optimum dietary concentration of vitamin C for this animal model was present in the three different vitamin E diets. Both HIGH and LOW vitamin E decreased percentage fatty acid unsaturation in all phospholipid fractions from membrane origin in relation to group MEDIUM. The results, together with previous information, show that both vitamin E and vitamin C at intermediate concentrations are needed for optimal protection against lipid peroxidation and loss of fatty acid unsaturation even in normal nonstressful conditions. These protective concentrations are higher than those needed to avoid deficiency syndromes.