Influence of dietary vitamin E deficiency on compression injury of rat spinal cord

The influences of vitamin E deficiency on compression injury of the rat spinal cord associated with ischemia were investigated. Growing rats were divided into two groups and given a diet containing either 2 IU/100 g or less than 0.1 IU/100 g of alpha-tocopherol acetate, respectively, for 6-8 weeks before experiments. Motor disturbances induced by spinal cord injury were found to be enhanced by vitamin E deficiency. The spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) was reduced by compression and subsequently increased transiently and then decreased gradually in both groups, but the level was lower in the vitamin E-deficient group than in the control group. After injury, the vitamin E-deficient group showed lower recoveries than the control group in the amplitude and latency of spinal cord evoked potentials and greater pathological changes of the spinal cord, such as bleeding and edema. The increase in the level of TBA-reactive substances in the spinal cord after injury increased with decrease in the dietary level of vitamin E. These results suggest that vitamin E may have a protective effects against ischemic spinal cord injury by its antioxidant effect.