Lung, aorta, and platelet metabolism of ¹⁴C-arachidonic acid in vitamin E deficient rats

¹⁴C-arachidonic acid metabolism was determined in aortas, platelets, and perfused lungs from rats pair fed a basal diet supplemented with 0 or 100 ppm vitamin E for 11 weeks. Spontaneous erythrocyte hemolysis tests showed 92% and 8% hemolysis for the 0 and 100 ppm vitamin E groups, respectively. Elevated lung homogenate levels of malonaldehyde in the 0 ppm group confirmed its deficient group synthesized 54% less prostacyclin than aortas from the supplemented group (p<0.05). Although thromboxane generation by platelets from the vitamin E deficient group exhibited a 37% increase, this difference was not statistically significant compared to the supplemented animals Greater amounts of PGE₂, PGF₂, TXB₂, and 6-keto-PGI_1α were obtained in albumin buffer perfusates from lungs of vitamin E deficient rats than in those from supplemented rats. Significant differences (p<0.05) were noticed, however, only for PGE₂ and PGF_2α. These studies indicate that vitamin E quantitatively alters arachidonic acid metabolism in aortic and lung tissue but its effect on thrmboxane synthesis by platelets is less marked.