Relationship between vitamin E content and susceptibility to lipid peroxidation in tissues of the newly hatched chick

1. The effect of supplementing the diet of the parent hen with vitamin E on the vitamin E content of the yolk and of embryonic and neonatal tissues was evaluated and the effects of elevated tissue concentrations of vitamin E on peroxidation susceptibility was examined. 2. Laying hens (Ross 1 broiler-breeder strain) were maintained on diets containing either 147 (control diet) or 365 (high vitamin E diet) microg vitamin E/g feed. 3. In the day-16 embryo, the concentrations of of vitamin E in the yolk sac membrane, liver, brain and lung were respectively 5.0, 4.3, 1.7 and 5.6 times greater for those derived from the hens on the high vitamin E diet compared with those from the control group. 4. In the day-old chick, the concentrations of vitamin E in the yolk sac membrane, liver, brain and lung were respectively 14.8, 2.8, 3.0 and 5.1 times greater for those derived from hens on the high vitamin E diet compared with those from the control group. 5. Homogenates of tissues from the day-old chick were incubated in the absence and presence of Fe2+ in order to determine the extent of spontaneous and iron-stimulated peroxidation as measured by the generation of thiobarbituric acid reacting substances. For the chicks derived from hens on the control diet, the brain was markedly more susceptible to both spontaneous and iron-stimulated peroxidation than were the other tissues. Tissues from the chicks derived from the hens on the high vitamin E diet exhibited significantly reduced susceptibilities to peroxidation. In particular, the susceptibility of the brain was reduced to the same level as that of the other tissues. 6. It is concluded that the high peroxidative susceptibility of the chick's brain can be normalised by supplementation of the parent hen with vitamin E.