Biochemical and ultrastructural alterations in platelets, reticulocytes, and lymphocytes from rats fed vitamin E-deficient diets.

Abstract

Effects of vitamin E-deficiency, dietary fat (corn oil versus lard), and incubation on ultrastructure of platelets, red and white cells, and on selected biochemical parameters of platelets and plasma were studied. Platelets from vitamin E-deficient rats had no obvious morphological defects, but reticulocytes and lymphocytes had swollen and deformed mitochondria. Fatty acid and glycogen levels of platelets were not affected by the deficiency but total lipid levels in plasma were decreased of increased depending upon the type and level of dietary fat. In comparison with supplemented controls, the proportion of stearate increased in the phospholipid fraction of plasma from vitamin E-deficient, lard-fed but not corn oil-fed rats. In platelets, total fatty acids per mg protein were 8-12% lower with lard than with corn oil as fat source. Oleate and linoleate were higher and lower, respectively, although not to the same degree, and arachidonate was not affected. With incubation of platelet-rich plasma at 37 degrees C for 6 hr, there were no obvious morphological changes in platelets from control or from deficient, lard-fed rats, but platelets from deficient, corn oil-fed rats contained mitochondria that were swollen and deformed. Incubation did not affect fatty acid, glycogen, or tocopherol levels of platelets or tocopherol levels of plasma, regardless of type or amount of dietary fat.