Abstract
Wistar-King strain rats and spontaneous hypertensive rats were fed on a α-tocopherol deficient diet. A α-tocopherol supplemented diet (0.02% α-tocopherol added) was used as a control. Furthermore, α-tocopherol deficient diet group was divided into two groups. One was fed on a high cholesterol diet, and the other was fed on a normal cholesterol diet. A remarkable decrease in serum tocopherol concentration was observed in the α-tocopherol deficient diet groups, and in these groups, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBA-RS) was considerably increased in the liver, brain, heart, kidney, and aorta. In these conditions, arterial enzyme activities concerning lipid metabolism, such as acid and neutral lipase activities, acid and neutral cholesterol esterase activities (CEase), cholesterol ester synthesizing activity (CEsyn.), triglyceride synthesizing activity (TGsyn.), choline-phosphotransferase activity (CPT) and acyl-CoA synthetase activity (aryl-CoAsyn.) were estimated. Acid and neutral lipase activities, acid CEase, CEsyn., acyl-CoAsyn. and TGsyn. decreased in α-tocopherol deficient Wistar-King strain rats fed on the normal cholesterol diet. On the other hand, CPT increased in that condition. In the high cholesterol diet condition, decrease in acid lipase activity, acid and neutral CEase, CEsyn. and acyl-CoAsyn., increase in CPT and no change in neutral lipase activity and TGsyn, were observed. In high cholesterol fed spontaneous hypertensive rats, increase in acid lipase activity and CEsyn., decrease in both CEases and CPT and no change in neutral lipase activity, TGsyn. and acyl-CoAsyn. were observed. Differences in lipid metabolism between tocopherol deficient and aged rat arterial wall were indicated, too. We discussed relationships between these changes in enzyme activities and lipid accumulation in arterial wall.
