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

In a 2 x 2 balanced factorial experiment the biochemical effects on pigs of two dietary factors were investigated. The first factor was a-tocopherol and Se supplementation and the second factor was supplementation with a-tocopherol-stripped linseed oil. In pigs fed on diets depleted of a-tocopherol and Se, increases in concentrations of markers of Lipid peroxidation (4hydroxynonenal and hexanal) were observed. However, skeletal myopathy was only observed in those pigs fed on diets depleted of atocopherol 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, was increased in pigs fed on diets depleted of a-tocopherol and Se, suggesting an increased tendency towards platelet aggregation. However, this change was reversed in pigs depleted of a-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.