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A short period of combined deficiency of vitamins E and C causes profound central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction in guinea pigs. For this report, CNS histopathology was studied to define the nature and extent of injury caused by this double deficiency. Weanling guinea pigs were fed a vitamin E-deficient or-replete diet for 14 d. Then vitamin C was withdrawn from the diet of some guinea pigs. Four diet groups were thus formed: replete, vitamin E deficient, vitamin C deficient, and both vitamin E and C deficient. From 5 to 11 d after institution of the doubly deficient diet, 9 of 12 guinea pigs developed paralysis, and 2 more were found dead. The remaining guinea pig in the doubly deficient group and all animals in the other 3 groups survived without clinical impairment until the experiment was terminated at 13-15 d. Brains and spinal cords were serially sectioned and stained for examination. Only the combined deficiency produced damage in the CNS. The damage consisted mainly of nerve cell death, axonal degeneration, vascular injury, and associated glial cell responses. The spinal cord and the ventral pons in the brainstem were most severely affected, often exhibiting asymmetric cystic lesions. Several features of the lesions suggest that the primary damage was to blood vessels. These results indicate that the paralysis and death caused by combined deficiency of vitamins E and C in guinea pigs is caused by severe damage in the brainstem and spinal cord. KEY WORDS: * combined vitamin E and C deficiency * nutritional central nervous system injury * guinea pigs

Neoangiogenesis is required for tumor development and progression. Many solid tumors induce vascular proliferation by production of angiogenic factors, prominently vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Because nutrition is a causative factor for tumor prevention and promotion, we determined whether secondary plant constituents, i.e., flavonoids, tocopherois, curcumin, and other substances regulate VEGF in human tumor cells in vitro. VEGF release (concurrent with synthesis) from MDA human breast cancer cells and, for comparison, U-343 and U-118 glioma cells was measured by ELISA. Of 21 compounds tested, 9 showed significant inhibitory activity at 0.1 [micro]mol/L in MDA human breast cancer cells. The rank order of inhibitory potency was naringin > rutin > [alpha]-tocopheryl succinate ([alpha]-TOS) > lovastatin > apigenin > genistein > [alpha]-tocopherol [greater than or equal to] kaempferol > [gamma]-tocopherol; chrysin and curcumin were inactive except at a concentration of 100 [micro]mol/L. Glioma cells were similarly sensitive, with U343 more than U118, especially for [alpha]-TOS and tocopherols. Among the tocopherol derivatives, c~-TOS (0.1/~mol/L) was the most effective in reducing VEGF release. Overall, the glycosylated flavonoids (i.e., naringin, a constituent of citrus fruits, and rutin, a constituent of cranberries) induced the greatest response to treatment at the lowest concentration in MDA human breast cancer cells. Inhibition of VEGF release by flavonoids, tocopherols, and Iovastatin in these models of neoplastic cells suggests a novel mechanism for mammary cancer prevention. J. Nutr. 136: 1477-1482, 2006. KEY WORDS: * angiogenesis * nutrition * flavonoid * tocopherol * tumor

The physiological and production effects of feeding additional vitamin E and ruminally protected vitamin C were examined in cattle challenged with bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV 1). Forty-eight individually penned 6-mo-old Angus and Angus crossbred heifer calves with a mean BW of 151 kg were allocated randomly to four diets in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Pelleted diets provided either 15 or 185 IU/kg of DM of vitamin E, with or without 3.7 g of ruminally protected vitamin C/kg of DM. Blood samples were taken at start of the experiment and at wk 4, 5, and 6. At the start of wk 5, half of each of the dietary groups was challenged with BHV 1. Feeding additional vitamin E was associated with greater (P < 0.001) mean plasma [alpha]-tocopherol. In contrast, feeding ruminally protected vitamin C was not associated with greater (P = 0.59) mean plasma ascorbate concentration; however, feeding ruminally protected vitamin C was associated with lower (P = 0.03) mean blood total superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD and Mn SOD) concentration. Calves fed additional vitamin E had greater (P = 0.05) mean plasma [beta]-carotene concentrations. There were interactions between dietary intake of vitamins E and C with respect to serum ceruloplasmin concentration (P = 0.01) and G:F (P = 0.05). Bovine herpesvirus 1 challenge was associated with lower white cell count (P = 0.007), lymphocyte count (P < 0.001), and DMI (P = 0.03). Feeding additional vitamin E to calves challenged with BHV 1 was associated with a lower (P = 0.03) serum ceruloplasmin concentration. There was a nonsignificant trend towards an interaction (P = 0.06) between the feeding of vitamins E and C, with virus-challenged calves fed additional vitamin E alone having greater plasma retinol concentrations. The feeding of vitamins E and/or C in calves challenged with BHV 1 was associated with alterations in the concentrations of other antioxidants. More severe disease may have translated these cellular effects to changes in health and performance. Key Words: Alpha-Tocopherol, Antioxidants, Ascorbate, Cattle, Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis

Seven hundred fifteen crossbred (primarily British) calves purchased in southern Oklahoma and northern Texas auction barns were received at the Willard Sparks Beef Research Center, Stillwater, OK, and used to study effects of duration (days) of vitamin E feeding during a 42-d receiving period on animal performance, health, and serum cholesterol and vitamin E concentrations. Upon arrival, calves were blocked by load (seven loads), sorted by BW (light, n = 4 pens per load; and heavy, n = 4 pens per load), and assigned randomly to one of four dietary treatments (n = 2 pens per load; 14 pens per treatment). Experimental diets were formulated to provide 2,000 IU x [calf.sup.-1] x [d.sup.-1] of supplemental vitamin E (DL-[alpha]-tocopherol acetate) for 0 (CON), 7 (E7), 14 (E14), or 28 (E28) d. Vitamin E was delivered in a pelleted supplement that was added to the basal diet in decreasing concentrations as DMI increased (2.0 kg of DMI = 6%; 4.0 kg of DMI = 4%; and 6.0 kg of DMI = 2%). Serum samples were collected on d 0, 14, 28, and 42 for determination of cholesterol, [alpha]-tocopherol (d 0, 28, and 42), and antibody (IgG) concentrations. Duration of vitamin E supplementation did not affect ADG (0.98 kg/d; P = 0.56) or G:F (0.189; P = 0.87). Serum cholesterol concentrations decreased (day effect; P < 0.001) for all treatments from d 0 (average = 127 mg/100 mL) to 14 (average = 62 mg/ 100 mL). Serum [alpha]-tocopherol decreased (day effect; P < 0.001) from d 0 (5.2 [micro]g/mL) to 28 (1.8 [micro]g/mL); however, on d 28, a greater (P < 0.001) serum [alpha]-tocopherol concentration was observed for E28 (3.4 [micro]g/mL) calves than for CON (1.1 [micro]g/mL), E7 (1.2 [micro]g/mL), or E14 (1.5 [micro]g/ mL) calves. Respiratory disease was diagnosed in 64.6% of calves in this study. Medical costs were less (P = 0.08) for calves fed vitamin E for 28 d ($4.88/calf) than for calves fed the control diet ($6.29/calf). Carcass characteristics were not affected (P = 0.19 to 0.88) by dietary treatments. Supplemental vitamin E formulated for 2,000 IU x [calf.sup.-1] x [d.sup.-1] had little influence on performance and overall health status of calves under our experimental conditions; however, the increased serum concentrations of [alpha]-tocopherol when vitamin E was fed for 28 d suggests that any potential effects of vitamin E on health status might be time-dependent. Key Words: Calves, Disease, Stress, Vitamin E

A study is conducted to test whether vitamin E supplementation decreases risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer among healthy women. The data indicates that 600 IU of natural-source vitamin E taken every other day provided no overall benefit for major cardiovascular mortality in healthy women.

Our objectives were to investigate and compare the effects of supplemental Mg, Trp, vitamin E (vit E), and vitamin C (vit C) on stress responses of pigs undergoing transport simulation. In this study, 126 pigs (25.1 [+ or -] 4.4 kg BW) were allocated to one of the six following treatments: 1) negative control (no supplementation); 2) positive control (i.m. injection with 0.5 mg of carazolol/20 kg BW 12 h before vibration, [beta]-blocker); 3) Trp (additional amount of 6 g/kg of feed for 5 d, as-fed basis); 4) Mg (3 g/L drinking water for 2 d); 5) vit E (additional amount of 150 mg/kg of feed for 21 d, as-fed basis); 6) or vit C (additional amount of 300 mg/kg of feed for 21 d, as-fed basis). Pigs were treated in groups of three, and each treatment was replicated seven times. Feed and water intake were not different among treatments. Heart rate variables (mean, peak, and minimum heart rate, ventricular ectopic beats, and ST elevation of Channels A and B) and heart rate variability were registered from the night before vibration. Pigs were subjected to vibration in a transport simulator (8 Hz, 3 m/s) for 2 h and allowed to recover for 2 h. Generally, the positive control pigs had the lowest heart rate values (mean, peak, minimum heart rate, ST elevation of Channel A; P < 0.05), whereas Mg and Trp decreased ventricular ectopic beats and ST elevation of Channel B, respectively. The effect of vit C and E as vagal stimulators was clearly visible, whereas carazolol and Mg clearly blocked the sympathetic pathways of the autonomic nervous system. During vibration, the negative control pigs lay the least, and Mg pigs the most (P < 0.05). Salivary cortisol concentrations (taken before and after vibration and after recovery) showed that vit E pigs produced the least cortisol during stress periods. Intermediary metabolites (glucose, lactate, creatine kinase, and NEFA) were analyzed in plasma from blood taken before and after vibration. At the two sampling points, the vit E and Mg pigs had the lowest NEFA concentrations (P < 0.05), and the vit E pigs also had the lowest lactate concentrations before vibration. Urine samples were collected before and after vibration to determine catecholamine concentrations; only negative control pigs had an increase (P = 0.04) in epinephrine concentration, despite large individual variation. In general, these results indicate that the supplementation of Trp, Mg, vit E, or vit C improved coping ability of pigs during vibration comparison with the negative control treatment. A muscular injection of carazolol influenced only the heart rate variables. Key Words: Magnesium, Pig, Stress, Tryptophan, Vitamin C, Vitamin E

A 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with 78 mature ewes was used to evaluate the effects of supplementing the pregnant ewe's diet with high levels of minerals and vitamin E on immunoglobulin G (IgG) absorption by the lamb and whether any altered efficacy of IgG absorption was due to the colostrum or to the lamb. The ewes were estrus-synchronized in October and housed in wk 10 of gestation. In the final 7 wk of gestation, a grass silage-based diet, offered ad libitum, was supplemented with 500 g of a 19% CP concentrate, and from i wk later until lambing, half the ewes was offered 48 g of a mineral/vitamin supplement containing 6.5 g of Ca, 4.9 g of P, 5.9 g of Mg, 4.0 g of Na, 790 mg of Zn, 3.5 mg of Se, 40 mg of I, 200 mg of Mn, 20 mg of Co, and 40 IU of vitamin E. At birth, the lambs were allocated to one of four treatments in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement, with lamb origin and colostrum origin as the two factors. The lambs born to ewes not offered the mineral supplement were fed colostrum obtained from their own dams or from ewes in the mineral-supplemented treatment, whereas lambs born to ewes given supplemental minerals were fed colostrum obtained either from their dams or from ewes in the control treatment. The ewes were milked at 1, 10, and 18 h postpartum and the lambs were fed using a stomach tube. A 5-mL blood sample was taken from each lamb at 24 h postpartum for IgG analysis. The level of fecal adhesion to the upper tail/rump area of the lamb was subjectively scored at 72 h postpartum. There was no difference in gestation length, lamb birth weight, colostrum yield, or IgG production (P = 0.16 to 0.82). When ewes were fed supplemental minerals, the serum IgG content of the progeny was lower than in their control counterparts (6.8 vs. 16.1 g/L; P < 0.001), regardless of whether the lamb received colostrum from ewes with or without access to supplementary minerals. The difference in serum IgG concentrations at 24 h postpartum was a direct reflection of a compromised efficiency in IgG absorption. The progeny of ewes with access to minerals had higher (P < 0.05) levels of fecal adhesion, which was not related to the origin of the colostrum, indicating altered digestive function in these lambs. We conclude, using the sheep as a model, that high mineral intakes in late pregnancy not only lower serum IgG concentrations in the lamb, but also that high mineral intakes result in the neonate being preprogrammed at birth so that it is born with a compromised ability to absorb colostral IgG. Key Words: Colostrum, Element, Immunoglobulin, Immunoglobulin Absorption, Sheep

Vitamin E is a term that describes a group of compounds with similar yet unique chemical structures and biological activities. One interesting property possessed by certain vitamin E compounds--namely, [delta]-tocotrienol, RRR-[alpha]-tocopheryl succinate [vitamin E succinate (VES), a hydrolyzable ester-linked succinic acid analogue of RRR-[alpha]-tocopherol], and a novel vitamin E analogue referred to as a-TEA ([alpha]-tocopherol ether linked acetic acid analogue, which is a stable nonhydrolyzable analogue of RRR-[alpha]-tocopherol)--is their ability to induce cancer cells but not normal cells to undergo a form of cell death called apoptosis. In contrast, the parent compound, RRR-[alpha]-tocopherol, also referred to as natural or authentic vitamin E and known for its antioxidant properties, does not induce cancer-cell apoptosis. Efforts to understand how select vitamin E forms can induce cancer cells to undergo apoptosis have identified several nonantioxidant biological functions, including restoration of pro-death transforming growth factor-[beta] and Fas signaling pathways. Recent studies with [alpha]-TEA show it to be a potent inducer of apoptosis in a wide variety of epithelial cancer cell types, including breast, prostate, lung, colon, ovarian, cervical, and endometrial in cell culture, and to be effective in significantly reducing tumor burden and metastasis in a syngeneic mouse mammary tumor model, as well as xenografts of human breast cancer cells. Studies also show that [alpha]-TEA, in combination with the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib and the chemotherapeutic drug 9-nitro-camptothecin decreases breast cancer animal model tumor burden and inhibits metastasis significantly better than do single-agent treatments. KEY WORDS: * vitamin E * cancer * chemotherapy * tumor burden * metastasis

The human daily requirement of [alpha]-tocopherol was estimated by a determination of the turnover kinetics of deuterium-labeled RRR-[alpha]-tocopherol in two women and three men. The amount of [alpha]-tocopherol absorbed varied in proportion to the amount of fat eaten with the vitamin, increasing by 0.43 mg for each gram of fat consumed. A fat-free method for administering [alpha]-tocopherol was developed by vacuum impregnation of apples with the vitamin. Even in the absence of fat, about 10% of the administered [alpha]-tocopherol was absorbed. The daily requirement of [alpha]-tocopherol when consumed with a diet containing 21% fat was estimated to be 15 [+ or -] 2 mg, an amount close to the current Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) of 12 mg/d. The study showed that vacuum-impregnated fruit might be a useful way to supplement vitamin E in people eating a low-fat diet. doi: 10.1301/nr.2007.jan.46-48 Key words: [alpha]-tocopherol, apples, estimated average requirement, fractional disappearance rate, vitamin E

The concentrations of the functional lipids and oils in the abraded fractions of the stored samples of hulless barley are determined. The storage of the compound is shown to have no effect on the concentrations of oil and tocopherols (Ts) but is shown to lead to major changes in sterols.

A novel approach to develop high quality and vitamin E-fortified fresh-cut pears by incorporating vitamin E into honey-based vacuum impregnation (VI) solution is described. The findings demonstrate that VI honey has feasibility for developing vitamin E fortified fresh-cut pear slices with high nutritive, physicochemical, and microbial quality and consumer acceptability.

The effect of high dietary vitamin E on lipid stability of oven-cooked and hot-smoked trout fillets is examined. The muscle tocopherol content increased due to high dietary vitamin E resulting in minimized lipid oxidation in oven-cooked and hot-smoked trout fillets.

The effect of ethanolic tocopherol addition on the oxidative stability of ohmic and impingement cooked beef patties is examined. The oxidative deterioration of cooked beef patties was delayed by the incorporation of ethanolic tocopherol.

The major lipophilic, radical-scavenging antioxidant in vivo is vitamin E. The protective function of vitamin E is detailed. The factors determining the antioxidant capacity of vitamin E are discussed.

The effects of ascorbic acid and Alpha-tocopherol on antioxidant activity of 15 phenolic compounds were compared with 2 in vitro assays. The intake of polyphenolic compounds is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease and cancer.

A study was designed to compare the dietary intakes of supplementing and non-supplementing female master athletes and to assess overall Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) guidelines for both macro and micro-nutrients. The study revealed that mean intakes exceeded DRI guidelines for all micro-nutrients except calcium and vitamin E.