In vivo effects of vitamin E on peritoneal macrophages and T-kininogen level in rats

In order to clarify the modulating effect on macrophages by vitamin E, we investigated the in vivo effects of vitamin E on the peritoneal macrophages and T-kininogen level in rats. Peritoneal injections of vitamin E for 6 successive days resulted in a significant increase of leucocytes, mostly consisting of macrophages, in the peritoneal cavity. Namely, in the case of 5 mg vitamin E per rat (400 g body weight), the number of leucocytes in the peritoneal cavity and T-kininogen level in plasma showed 171.57 +/- 15.96 X 10(6) per rat and 1372 +/- 364 micrograms/ml, whereas the placebo vehicle was 28.54 +/- 8.24 X 10(6) and 315 +/- 130, respectively. Macrophages, in which alpha-tocopherol contained approximately 158.2 ng/10(6) cells after exogenous vitamin E treatment, showed less acid phosphatase activity and less O2- generation than that treated with placebo vehicle. In contrast, the acid phosphatase activity of cellfree peritoneal exudate fluid with vitamin E increased approximately two to three-fold as compared to the placebo vehicle. From these results, we discussed the relationship between in vivo effects of vitamin E on peritoneal macrophages and T-kininogen induction.