Studies on vitamin E. 7. The effect of thiamine, riboflavin and pantothenic acid on ubiquinone and ubichromenol in the rat

Abstract

Groups of male and female rats were maintained on thiamine-deficient and riboflavin-deficient diets for 38 days, after which they were killed and their hearts, livers and spleens were analyzed for ubiquinone, ubichromenol and a-tocopherol. The concentrations were compared with those found in tissues from control animals, supplemented with the required vitamin. Although certain changes occurred in heart and liver, there appear to be secondary manifestations of severe weight changes during deficiency. Administration of thiamine and riboflavin did not appear to influence ubiquinone or ubichromenol concentrations directly. In pantothenic acid deficiency, groups of rats showed elevated ubiquinone concentrations in liver, but not in heart. A secondary effect, through vitamin E, may be involved.