The Significance of the Plasma Tocopherol Concentration and of Tocopherol Tolerance Tests in Liver Disease 1

The Effects of Experimental Hepatobiliary Disease on Certain Aspects of Tocopherol Metabolism in the Rat1

“…(Submitted for publication June 11, 1957; accepted August 1, 1957) In a previous study (1) it was found that the plasma tocopherol level in patients with hepatocellular disease tended to be low and relatively unresponsive to an oral test dose of tocopheryl acetate.…”

The Absorption and Excretion of Tocopherol in Laennec's Cirrhosis 1

“…The test was begun in the early morning with the subject in the fasting state, but only the 0 and 24 hour specimens were collected under these conditions, the subject being allowed to eat regularly during the remainder of 8 "Ephynal Acetate," obtained through the courtesy of Dr. R. J. Floody, Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc., Nutley, N. J. the test. In a previous study (1) it was shown that the diets employed had no significant effect on the plasma tocopherol level.…”

“…The plasma tocopherol level is often low in cirrhosis (1,2). Whether such low values reflect alterations in the absorption, utilization or excretion of tocopherol related to liver damage, or are the result of a decreased dietary intake is not known.…”

“…Whether such low values reflect alterations in the absorption, utilization or excretion of tocopherol related to liver damage, or are the result of a decreased dietary intake is not known. Previous attempts to investigate tocopherol metabolism in liver disease have been limited to tests of tocopherol tolerance based on plasma curves (1,2) and have shed little light on the problem, largely because tolerance tests cannot be interpreted in terms of absorption and utilization without parallel studies of excretion and storage. The present report is concerned with the results of such studies in Laennec's cirrhosis.…”

“…These revealed relative flat plasma curves, but the lack of any correlation between the height of the curve and the original plasma level did not appear to be consistent with the interpretation that low plasma concentrations were the result of impaired absorption. Attempts to investigate tocopherol utilization by means of parenteral tolerance tests 1 Supported by research grants from Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc., Nutley, N. J., and the National Institutes of Health, U. S. Public Health Service. 2 Present address: Pack Medical Group, New York, N. Y. were unsuccessful, because none of the available preparations of tocopherol could be used intravenously, and none was freely absorbed from muscle.…”