802 IX. THE VITAMIN E GROUP 



was increased from 0.025 to 0.068 milligram per cent, while in the second 

 series the rise in tocopherol concentration was only from 0.022 to 0.034 milli- 

 gram per cent. 



Tissues from a normal man were found to contain a total of 3.4 g. of 

 tocopherols/^ while the total from a 50-kg. woman was calculated to be 

 8.1 g. Table 4 shows the estimated distribution of tocopherol in man. 



TABLE 4 

 Estimated Content of Total Tocopherols in Human Subjects" 



Tissue Woman, mg. Man, mg. 



Fat 6180 1885 



Muscle 269 285 



Blood 45 64 



Liver 33 45 



Pancreas 10 7 



Spleen 7 4 



Heart 4 3 



Kidney 10 2 



Uterus 2 — 



Lung — 12 



Testis — 2 



Total 6560 



Total on basis of 50 kg 81W — 



Total on basis of 70 kg — 3U0 



" M. L. Quaife and M. Y. Dju, J. Biol. Chem., 180, 263-272 (1949). 



The tocopherol concentration showed a 50-fold range in human tissues on 

 the wet basis, and less than an 8-fold variation when the comparison was 

 based upon the amount per unit quantity of fat. In the latter case, the 

 values varied from 0.2 to 1.2 mg. per gram of lipid. The tocopherol in the 

 tissues of the 2 subjects consisted of approximately 90% of a-tocopherol 

 (91% in the man and 88% in the woman). Since the average diet contains 

 about equal proportions of a- and of non-a-tocopherol, it is thus evident 

 that there is a marked preferential storage of the a-form. Kaunitz and 

 Beaver^^ have reported a total tocopherol concentration in rat and human 

 muscle of 17 to 30 mg. pier kilogram of wet muscle; this figure is in line with 

 the results of Quaife et al.^^-"^^ Human milk samples were found to contain 

 much higher proportions of tocopherol than did cow milk. While mature 

 human milk was shown to average about 0. 14 milligram per cent, the com- 

 position of colostrum obtained during the first week following parturition 

 had a tocopherol content as high as 3.6 mg. per 100 milliliters.'''* 



" M. L. Quaife and M. Y. Dju, /. Biol Chem., 180, 263-272 (1949). 

 " H. Kaunitz and J. J. Beaver, J. Biol. Chem., 166, 205-217 (1946). 

 T* M. L. Quaife, J. Biol. Chem., 169, 513-514 (1949). 



