Repletion and depletion of vitamin E in gastroduodenal mucosa

Male rats were used to assess the effect of fasting and depletion and repletion rates on the levels of vitamin E in the liver and in mucosa from the fundus, antrum, and duodenum. Fasting for 24 h did not produce a significant decrease in vitamin E content in gastroduodenal mucosa. Feeding rats a diet low in vitamin E content for 10 weeks produced very low levels of the vitamin in all the tissues studied (below 2.4 micrograms/g tissue). Feeding rats a diet high in vitamin E content for 10 weeks produced high levels of vitamin E in the liver (64.5 micrograms/g) and in fundic (47.5), antral (36.9), and duodenal (24.5) mucosa. Calculated rates of depletion (microgram/g tissue/day) were very low in fundic and antral mucosa (0.2-0.7); duodenal mucosa (4.2) and liver (12.2) were the highest. Rates of repletion (microgram/g tissue/day) were lower in the antrum (1.2) and fundus (2.6); duodenal (4.2) and liver (7.6) were the highest. The findings of this study indicate that fasting or short-term dietary manipulation did not substantially change the vitamin E content of the gastroduodenal mucosa.