TOCOPHEROLS IX VARIOUS METABOLIC PROCESSES 711 



Mason^- state that only four of the numerous deficiency sj^mptoms of 

 vitamin E are independent of the dietary fat of the animal. These include 

 (/) testis decfeneration in the rat and hamster, (2) fetal resorption in the 

 rat, (5) nutritional muscular dystrophy in the rat, rabbit, and chick, 

 and (4) necrotic liver degeneration in the rat. Ho^ve^'er, the presence of 

 oxidizable fats in the diet does accelerate, to a variable degree, these several 

 deficiencj' states. These conditions are discussed further in a later section 

 of this chapter (see page 720) . 



(6) Vitamin E Deficiencies Directly Related to Dietary Fat. A number of 

 deficiency conditions are ascribed to vitamin E deficiency which are de- 

 pendent upon the presence of moderate amounts of oxidizable fat in the 

 diet, and which are accelerated by the presence of larger amounts of these 

 oxidizable fats.^'- These include the following abnormal conditions: (1) 

 accumulation of an acid-fast bro\m pigment in smooth, cardiac, and 

 skeletal muscle, in the sex glands, in the adrenal glands and in the central 

 nervous system of the rat; (2) late lactation paralysis in the rat; (5) 

 depigmentation of incisor teeth of the rat; (4) increased susceptibility of 

 red blood cells to hemoh^sis in the human and in other species; (5) en- 

 cephalomalacia in chicks; and (6) exudative diathesis in chicks. These 

 several conditions are discussed at some length in a later section (see page 

 725). 



(c) Vitamin E Deficiencies Requiring Excessively Large Amounts of 

 Unsaturated Fats. There is also a third set of conditions which are neces- 

 sary before certain a\ntaminosis E s^'mptoms appear. Thus, Harris and 

 Mason^- reported that miphysiologically large amounts of highly un- 

 saturated acids such as those contained in cod liver oil or linseed oil are pre- 

 requisites in the accompanpng diet before these deficiencies can develop. 

 This category includes: (/) brown pigmentation of adipose tissue in the 

 mouse, rat, hamster, and pig; and (£) kidney autolysis in the rat. These 

 conditions are described in detail in a later section (see page 713). 



d. Mineral Metabolism. The relationship of vitamin E to mineral 

 metabolism is somewhat more complicated than is that of the vitamin to 

 the other foodstuffs. Harris and JNIason^^ ^q ^q^ commit themselves to a 

 positive or negative ^^ew, although they appear to accept the hypothesis 

 that vitamin E does play a role in mineral metabohsm. 



A number of observations can be interpreted as furnishing positive e^^- 

 dence that a relationship does exist between xatamin E and the metabohsm 

 of certain minerals. Burger and Hauge^*" reported that the \'itamin E 

 concentration of plants is directly related to the manganese status. It has 



'«> O. J. Burger and S. M. Hauge, Soil Sci., 72, 301-313 (1951). 



