800 



IX. THE VITAMIN E GROUP 



bertson et al.^^ and by Moore et al.^'' to be low in the livers of rats, Mason" 

 demonstrated that this value is dependent upon the intake of vitamin E. 

 On a diet containing 4 times the minimal daily requirement, liver storage 

 was at a level of one-fourth to one-half of that of the skeletal muscles, 

 visceral organs, and body fat ; however, when the vitamin E intake was at a 

 level of 100 times the minimal daily requirement, the liver content was in- 

 creased 14 times, in contrast to a rise in most other tissues of only 3 to 4.5 

 times. When the dosage was increased to 10,000 times the daily minimal 

 requirement, the liver storage was 150 times and that in the skeletal muscle 

 was 12 times the amount present when the minimal dosage was given. 

 These results are summarized in Table 2. 



TABLE 3 

 Distribution of Tocopherol in Tissues of an Adult Rat" 



Total 

 Weight, Tocopherol, Concn., tocopherol in 



Tissue g. mg./lOO g. mg./g. fat tissue, mg. 



Blood cells — — 1.1 0.047 



Suprareiials 004 34.0 0.7 0.014 



Lungs 1.38 3.24 0.74 0.045 



Spleen 0.58 5.1 1.1 0.030 



Liver 10.6 2.52 0.51 0.269 



Blood plasma — 0.70 — 0.070 



Gut 4.64 3.69 0.42 0.171 



Kidneys 2.04 1.18 0.24 0.024 



Thymus 0.49 1.7 0.7 0.008 



Diaphragm 0.66 2.5 0.7 0.016 



Heart 0.90 3.42 0.96 0.031 



Penis 0.24 4.5 1.0 0.011 



Seminal vesicles 0.72 2.6 0.7 0.019 



Residual (skeleton, head, etc.). .. . 91.0 3.55 0.57 3.23 



Mesentery fat 5.85 6.0 0.071 0.349 



Pelt 58.5 3.32 0.39 1.94 



Muscle 86.0 1.33 0.54 1.15 



Testes 3.18 2.26 1.05 0.072 



Pancreas 1.62 5.48 0.20 0.089 



Pituitary 0.01 90.0 1.2 0.009 



Central nervous system 2.49 1 .62 0. 16 0.040 



Total 7.634 



" M. L. Quaife, W. J. Swanson, M. Y. Dju, and P. L. Harris, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci., 

 52, 300-305 (1949). 



The liver thus provides a site for the storage of the tocopherols. The 

 level of vitamin E present in this organ is to a considerable extent indicative 



*^ W. F. J. Cuthbertson, R. R. Ridgeway, and J. C. Drummond, Biochem. J., 34, 

 34-39 (1940). 



" T. Moore, A. J. P. Martin, and K. R. Rajagopal, Vitamin E Symposium, April 22, 

 1939, Soc. Chem. Ind. Food Group, 1940, 41-43. 



