1984 Volume 32 Issue 5 Pages 2033-2035
This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of ascorbic acid (ASA) and ferrous ions on renin release from renin granules of vitamin E-deficient rats. Male Wistar rats were maintained on a vitamin E-deficient diet for 4 weeks. The renin granule fraction was prepared from the kidney cortex homogenate by discontinuous sucrose density gradient centrifugation. When the renin granule fraction was incubated at 37°C for 30 min in the presence of ASA or ferrous ions, renin release from the granules in vitamin E-deficient rats was significantly higher than that in the case of control rats. Further, lipid peroxide formation was greatly enhanced in the renin granule fraction. However, dietary supplementation of dl-α-tocopheryl acetate (40 mg/100 g diet) or N, N'-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (80 mg/100 g diet) to the vitamin E-deficient rats for 5d suppressed the simultaneous increases in renin release and lipid peroxide formation induced by ASA or ferrous ions. These results indicate that renin granules of vitamin E-deficient rats are more susceptible to renin relase by ASA and ferrous ions than are those of control rats, and that vitamin E functions to maintain the membrane integrity of renin granules by inhibiting lipid peroxidation.
