Lipid peroxidation, prostacyclin and thromboxane A 2 in pigs depleted of vitamin E and selenium and supplemented with linseed oil

Abstract

In a 2×2 balanced factorial experiment the biochemical effects on pigs of two dietary factors were investigated. The first factor was α-tocopherol and Se supplementation and the second factor was supplementation with α-tocopherol-stripped linseed oil. In pigs fed on diets depleted of α-tocopherol and Se, increases in concentrations of markers of lipid peroxidation (4-hydroxynonenal and hexanal) were observed. However, skeletal myopathy was only observed in those pigs fed on diets depleted of α-tocopherol and Se and supplemented with oil. In those pigs, increased lipid peroxidation was observed in heart and supraspinatus muscle. The plasma concentration of thromboxane B 2 was increased in pigs fed on diets depleted of α-tocopherol and Se, suggesting an increased tendency towards platelet aggregation. However, this change was reversed in pigs depleted of α-tocopherol and Se, but supplemented with oil. This may have been a consequence of loss of arachidonic acid, the substrate for thromboxane formation, as a result of lipid peroxidation.