[Electron microscopic study of the effect of the antioxidant action of alpha-tocopherol]

Electron microscopy was used to study antioxidant action of alpha-tocopherol by examining gastric mucosa biopsies from schizophrenic patients kept on a prolonged fasting diet. Intramuscular injection of 100 mg alpha-tocopherol a day over 20 days did not influence fatty infiltration of the parietal cells. At the same time alpha-tocopherol promoted active oxidation of infiltrative lipids and excretion of oxidation products from the cells. The preparation exerted a marked protective effect on the maintenance of the integrity of membrane complexes of gastric mucosa cells, prevented the development of fatty degeneration of granulocytes characteristic of a prolonged fasting diet.