Tissue vitamin E concentrations after single injection of α-tocopherol in pigs

Abstract

Forty pigs were randomly assigned to one of the four treatment groups: control, 500 IU, 1500 IU, and 2500 IU of vitamin E given as a single intramuscular injection. Out of 40 pigs, 20 were slaughtered at day 3 and the remaining 20 at day 7 after injection. Effect of treatment was significant (P < 0.05) for vitamin E concentrations in all tissues. The effect of time of slaughter after the injection was significant (P < 0.05) for spleen, liver, kidney, lung, hip muscle and adrenal, while the interaction of treatment with time was significant (P < 0.05) for most of the tissues except adipose tissue and neck muscle. Concentration of α-tocopherol in all tissues increased with increased dose of injection. In most tissues, α-tocopherol concentration was higher at 3 d than at 7 d after injection. By 7 d, levels had dropped significantly but were still much higher than control levels. Intramuscular injection of vitamin E in pigs resulted in significant differences in tissue α-tocopherol concentrations. Key words: Vitamin E, tissues, pigs