Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0042875 (vitamin E deficiency)
 916 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The effects of oxygen inhalation for 48 h on the antioxidant capacity of lungs, livers, and brains in normal and vitamin E-deficient rats at various ages were examined. The activity levels of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase, and the level of vitamin E in tissue homogenates were assayed as the indices of antioxidant capacity. Oxygen inhalation mostly decreased antioxidant enzyme activity in lungs. In particular, the catalase activity was much decreased. The glutathione peroxidase activity tended to be decreased. The superoxide dismutase activity was decreased in 32-month-old rats. Vitamin E deficiency did not augment oxidative damage due to oxygen inhalation. There appears to be no age effect on the oxygen-induced decrease in the antioxidant enzyme activities of lungs, except the superoxide dismutase activity in very old rats. Oxygen inhalation had some effects on the antioxidant capacity of livers and brains. For example, oxygen inhalation decreased the vitamin E concentration of livers in 32-month-old, normal rats. These results suggest that the antioxidant capacity of lungs is directly damaged by oxygen inhalation and that the antioxidant capacity of livers and brains is indirectly affected through lung damage. Antioxidant capacity may be maintained without large variation during young and middle ages, but its redundancy for emergency use may be diminished in old age.
 ...
PMID:Effects of oxygen inhalation on the antioxidant capacity of lungs, livers, and brains in normal and vitamin E-deficient rats at various ages. 761 20

In mammals, severe and chronic deficiency of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is associated with a characteristic neurological syndrome. Previously, we have shown that this syndrome is accompanied by electrophysiological abnormalities of neural and visual function. To investigate the molecular basis of the observed abnormalities, we used microarrays to monitor the expression of approximately 14,000 genes in the cerebral cortex from rats which had received diets containing 0, 1.25 and 5.0 mg/kg diet of all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate for 14 months. Compared to the groups receiving 1.25 and 5.0 mg/kg alpha-tocopheryl acetate, a total of 11 genes were statistically significantly upregulated (> or =1.3-fold) and 34 downregulated (< or =1.3-fold) in the vitamin E-deficient group. Increased expression was observed for the genes encoding the antioxidant enzyme catalase and the axon guidance molecule tenascin-R, while decreased expression was detected for genes encoding protein components of myelin and determinants of neuronal signal propagation. Thus our observations suggest that vitamin E deficiency results in transcriptional alterations in the cerebral cortex of the rat which are consistent with the observed neurological and electrophysiological alterations.
 ...
PMID:Cortical gene expression in the vitamin E-deficient rat: possible mechanisms for the electrophysiological abnormalities of visual and neural function. 1684 96

Vitamin E inhibits oxidative processes in living tissues. We produced vitamin E-deficient mice by feeding them a vitamin E-deficient diet to verify the influence of chronic vitamin E deficiency on cognitive function. We measured cognitive function over a 5-d period using the Morris water maze task, as well as antioxidant enzyme activity and lipid peroxidation in discrete brain regions, and total serum cholesterol content. Three- and six-mo-old vitamin E-deficient and age-matched control mice were used. In addition, 24-mo-old mice were used as an aged-model. In the 3-mo-old mice, cognitive function in the vitamin E-deficient (short-term vitamin E-deficient) group was significantly impaired compared to age-matched controls. Although the lipid peroxidation products in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus did not significantly differ in 3-mo-old mice, the levels in the 6-mo-old vitamin E-deficient (long-term vitamin E-deficient) mice were significantly increased compared to age-matched controls. Serum cholesterol content was also significantly increased in the short- and long-term vitamin E-deficient mice compared to their respective age-matched controls. These results indicate that chronic vitamin E deficiency may slowly accelerate brain oxidation. Thus, vitamin E concentrations may need to be monitored in order to prevent the risk of cognitive dysfunction, even under normal conditions.
...
PMID:Long-Term Vitamin E-Deficient Mice Exhibit Cognitive Dysfunction via Elevation of Brain Oxidation. 2663 43