Plasma and tissue vitamin E depletion in sheep with burn and smoke inhalation injury

Oxidants are involved in the pathogenesis of many disorders caused by burn and smoke inhalation; alpha- and gamma-tocopherols are major tissue antioxidants, and their depletion should reflect oxidant injury. To determine whether plasma and tissue vitamin E levels would thus be depleted in severe burn, prepared sheep were randomly divided into the following groups: non-injured, burn- and smoke-exposed, burned only and smoke-exposed only. All were resuscitated with Ringer's lactate solution, mechanically ventilated and sacrificed at various time intervals. Immediately following injury plasma, lung, trachea, heart and liver tocopherols/lipids were measured and found to be significantly depleted except in the heart. Reduction of tissue gamma-tocopherol appeared earlier than reduction of alpha-tocopherol. Thus animals receiving combined burn and inhalation injury underwent marked oxidative stress, suggesting that vitamin E might be depleted also in humans with burn and smoke inhalation injury, and that appropriate supplementation should be evaluated.