Breeder Diet Strategies for Generating Ttpa-Null and Wild-Type Mice with Low Vitamin E Status to Assess Neurological Outcomes

Studying vitamin E [α-tocopherol (α-T)] metabolism and function in the brain and other tissues requires an animal model with low α-T status, such as the transgenic α-T transfer protein (Ttpa)–null (Ttpa–/–) mouse model. Ttpa+/– dams can be used to produce Ttpa–/– and Ttpa+/+mice for these studies. However, the α-T content in Ttpa+/– dams’ diet requires optimization; diets must provide sufficient α-T for reproduction, while minimizing the transfer of α-T to the offspring destined for future studies that require low baseline α-T status. The goal of this work was to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of 2 breeding diet strategies on reproduction outcomes and offspring brain α-T concentrations. These findings will help standardize the breeding methodology used to generate the Ttpa–/– mice for neurological studies. This study tested the effectiveness and feasibility of 2 breeder diet strategies for generating Ttpa−/− and Ttpa+/+mice with low vitamin E status in the brain.