Lipid Peroxidation in Nutritional Muscular Dystrophy.

Summary α-Tocopherol and ubiquinone concentrations, and lipid peroxidation were investigated in gastrocnemius, masseter, heart and liver tissues of the guinea pig during the initial stages of nutritional muscular dystrophy. α-Tocopherol and ubiquinone concentrations were significantly less in tissues from animals fed E— diet than from animals fed E+ diet, at 15 and 21 days on diet. Lipid peroxidation was significantly greater in E— than E+ heart and liver tissues at 15 days, but E— gastrocnemius and masseter muscles did not show significant increases in lipid peroxidation until 21 days of diet. Supplementation of animals on E— diet with dl-α-tocopherol reduced lipid peroxidation in all tissues comparable to the lipid peroxidation from tissues of normal animals. Addition of dl-α-tocopherol acetate to incubating homogenates from tissues of all dietary regimens reduced lipid peroxidation only in E— tissues. The well established presence of nutritional muscular dystrophy in gastrocnemius muscle at 15 days of this vitamin E-deficient diet, by several investigators, continues to raise the question as to the primary function of tocopherol in the origin of nutritional muscular dystrophy.