Sesame seed lignans and gamma-tocopherol act synergistically to produce vitamin E activity in rats

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition Vol. 122; no. 12; pp. 2440 - 2446
• Main Authors: Yamashita, K. (Sugiyama Jogakuen University, Chkusua-ku, Nagoya, Japan), Nohara, Y, Katayama, K, Namiki, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD American Society for Nutritional Sciences 01.12.1992
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Diet; DIETA; Dioxoles - administration & dosage; Dioxoles - pharmacology; Drug Synergism; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Furans - administration & dosage; Furans - pharmacology; Hemolysis; Lignans; LIGNINAS; LIGNINE; Liver - metabolism; Male; Peroxides - blood; Peroxides - metabolism; Pyruvate Kinase - blood; RAT; RATA; Rats; Rats, Wistar; REGIME ALIMENTAIRE; SEMENCE; SEMILLAS; SESAMUM INDICUM; TOCOFEROLES; TOCOPHEROL; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vitamin E - administration & dosage; Vitamin E - metabolism; Vitamin E - pharmacology; VITAMINA E; VITAMINE E; Nutrition; Rat; Nutritive value; Rodentia; Vitamin; α-Tocopherol; Synergism; Biological activity; Feeding; Sesame seed; Vertebrata; Nutritional indicator; Mammalia; Position isomer; Lignan; Nutritional status
• ISSN: 0022-3166; 1541-6100
• DOI: 10.1093/jn/122.12.2440

Vitamin E activity of sesame seed, which contains only gamma-tocopherol, a compound that has vitamin E activity equal to only 6-16% that of alpha-tocopherol, was examined in two experiments. In the first experiment, groups of rats were fed four diets: vitamin E-free control diet, alpha-tocopherol-containing diet, gamma-tocopherol-containing diet and sesame seed-containing diet. Changes in red blood cell hemolysis, plasma pyruvate kinase activity, and peroxides in plasma and liver, as indices of vitamin E activity, were examined. The sesame seed diet has high vitamin E activity, whereas this activity was low in the gamma-tocopherol diet. In plasma and liver, alpha-tocopherol was found in high concentration only in the alpha-tocopherol-fed group, and gamma-tocopherol was found in high concentration only in the sesame seed-fed group, with negligible amounts of gamma-tocopherol in liver of the gamma-tocopherol-fed group. In the second experiment, two diets containing sesame lignan (sesaminol or sesamin) and gamma-tocopherol were tested. Results in both of the sesame lignan-fed groups were comparable to those observed in the sesame seed-fed group in Experiment 1. These experiments indicate that gamma-tocopherol in sesame seed exerts vitamin E activity equal to that of alpha-tocopherol through a synergistic interaction with sesame seed lignans