Lipid Peroxidation in Vivo during Vitamin E and Selenium Deficiency in the Rat as Monitored by Ethane Evolution

Abstract

Ethane evolution was monitored from vitamin E and selenium (Se)-deficient rats to determine if lipid peroxidation occurs in vivo when these rats develop fatal organ lesions. Weanling rats were fed a vitamin E and Se-deficient, or supplemented, diet for 40 to 90 days. Each was then prefasted for 4 hours and fasting was continued for 24 to 40 hours while ethane was collected. Approximately 50% of the doubly-deficient rats died as a result of fasting. Pathological signs included hematuria, lung hemorrhage, and liver necrosis. Ethane evolution increased exponentially 10 to 20 hours before death and then declined 2 hours before death. Rats that survived (at least 5 days after ethane collection) evolved 7.4 ± 1.3 nmoles ethane/100 g body weight/24 hours compared to 100 ± 6 for rats that died. Supplementation of the basal diet with vitamin E (200 IU/kg), Se (0.2 ppm, as Na₂SeO₃), or both, completely prevented mortality and reduced ethane evolution values to 0.4 ± 0.2, 3.1 ± 0.4, or 0.2 ± 0.2, respectively. These experiments indicate that lipid peroxidation occurs in vivo as a result of vitamin E and Se deficiency, and the peroxidation process greatly accelerates during the terminal phase of the fatal disease.