Effect of dietary vitamin E on sulfolipid synthesis in rat submandibular salivary gland

The effect of feeding diets containing various levels of vitamin E for 6 months on the in vitro synthesis of sulfolipids in rat submandibular salivary glands (SMG) was elucidated. The incorporation of [35S]sulfate into sulfolipid of SMG from rats on deficient or “normal” vitamin E diets was quite similar, however, the uptake was significantly increased in glands from rats on diets high in vitamin E. Whereas, in many instances, antioxidants can mimic the effect of vitamin E, in the present study, the antioxidant N,N′‐diphenyl‐ρ‐phenylene diamine (DPPD) was actually found significantly to depress sulfolipid‐labeling below that noted in SMG from all other diets. The results suggest that in the synthesis of SMG sulfolipid the action of vitamin E may be more than that of a simple antioxidant.