Summary
The plasma transport and certain aspects of tocopherol and tocotrienol physiology were examined in humans and hamsters. First, their transport differed in that tocopherol was found primarily in LDL and HDL whereas tocotrienols disappeared from plasma with chylomicrons removal. Second, tocopherol concentration in LDL was inversely proportional to the “atherogenic potential” of LDL in an in vitro monocyte adhesion assay. Although vegetarian had more polyunsaturates and less total tocopherol in their plasma lipids, they maintained a higher tocopherol: cholesterol molar ratio. In essence, we find support for the concept that high intake of polyunsaturated fat is deleterious to the oxidation state of circulating LDL. Third, a high intake of tocotrienol did not appear to modulate plasma cholesterol levels in normolipidemic hamsters. We conclude that the transport, tissue concentration, and relative biological functions of tocopherol and tocotrienol are distinct and relatively unrelated.
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© 1992 Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel/Switzerland
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Hayes, K.C., Pronczuk, A., Liang, J.S., Lindsey, S. (1992). Tocopherol and Tocotrienol Plasma Transport and Tissue Concentrations: Implications for Their Relative Biological Functions. In: Ong, A.S.H., Packer, L. (eds) Lipid-Soluble Antioxidants: Biochemistry and Clinical Applications. Molecular and Cell Biology Updates. Birkhäuser Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7432-8_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7432-8_10
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