The effect of vitamins C and E on lipid peroxidation in stored erythrocytes

Vitamins C and E are both naturally occurring free radical scavengers; as such, their presence assists various other mechanisms in decreasing numerous disruptive free radical processes from taking place, including lipid peroxidation (LP). Vitamin C, being water soluble, is an excellent antioxidant in plasma, while lipid soluble vitamin E is effective in cell membranes. In this communication, our study is reported of the effects of oral vitamin C and E supplementation in human volunteers on stored red cell LP. It was found that supplementation with these vitamins for 10 days prior to blood donation significantly decreased LP in stored red cells in both irradiated and non-irradiated samples in comparison to pre-vitamin red cell LP. Plasma potassium levels were also decreased on days 7 and 14 after storage at 4 degrees C, but not after four additional days (day 18) at 37 degrees C. In agreement with prior studies, in which various metal chelators and other antioxidants were shown to decrease LP, this study further supports the suggestion that, in addition to adding various important nutrient solutions to donor blood, as well as the possible in vitro addition of various metal chelators and other antioxidants, the oral supplementation with vitamin free radical scavengers may further improve the longevity and viability of stored red cells.