[Tocopherol level and lipid peroxidation in Wistar rat tissues during adaptation to cold]

The content of lipid peroxidation (LPO) products and tocopherol was studied in the plasma, adrenals, brown fat, heart, thymus, liver tissue, microsomes and mitochondria of Wistar rats in various periods of cold acclimation (+4 degrees C during 2, 5, 24 hours and 5, 10, 15, and 49 days). Within the first 24 hours of cold exposure, there were periods of low levels of LPO products which, as their following elevation, did not coincide in time both for various tissues and for subcellular structures. The liver was used as an example to show that the activity of glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase enhanced. The rats' adaptation to moderately low temperatures occurred with the stabilized LPO processes and elevated body's tissue tocopherol levels: in the first hours of exposure by mobilizing its endogenous stores, on long-term exposure by enhancing its utilization from the diet.