Submitted on August 10, 2005
Accepted on December 22, 2005
Effects on neural function of repleting vitamin E deficient rats with 
-tocopherol
Samantha M. Hayton1, Tony Kriss2, Angie Wade3, and David P. R. Muller4*
1 Biochemistry, Endocrinology and Metabolism Unit, Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; Visual Science Unit, Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
2 Visual Science Unit, Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
3 Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
4 Biochemistry, Endocrinology and Metabolism Unit, Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: D.Muller{at}ich.ucl.ac.uk.
A severe and chronic deficiency of vitamin E (
-tocopherol) is associated with a characteristic neurological syndrome with typical clinical, neuropathological and electrophysiological abnormalities in both man and experimental animals. Repletion of vitamin E deficient human subjects with -tocopherol typically halts the progression of the neural signs and symptoms and in some cases can result in objective improvement. Electrophysiological parameters provide an objective measure of neural and visual function and improvement of some of these measures has been reported following repletion with vitamin E in man. In this longitudinal study the effects of repleting rats with a diet containing 36mg/kg all-rac--tocopheryl acetate for 20 weeks after they had been receiving a vitamin E deficient diet for 38 weeks was investigated. We report significant improvements in growth and a number of electrophysiological parameters of both neural and visual function following repletion. These results confirm the validity of the vitamin E deficient rat as a model of vitamin E deficiency in man.
