Anti-inflammatory effects of vitamin E on experimental lens-induced uveitis

The anti-phlogistic effect of dietary vitamin E supplementation on the acute inflammation observed in experimental lens-induced uveitis in Brown Norway rats was studied. The effects of vitamin E were examined using histopathologic parameters as well as by measuring the levels of arachidonic acid metabolites. Histologic examination of the eyes revealed that the vitamin E-deficient animals had the most severe destruction of the retina, while those animals receiving the vitamin E-supplemented diet exhibited the best preservation of the retinal architecture. Levels of arachidonic acid metabolites, as determined by radioimmunoassay, were significantly higher in vitamin E deficient rats as compared with rats on a normal diet.