Mechanism of synergistic effect on sesame lignans and tocopherols

三个实验证明，芝麻及其木脂素能显著提高α -生育酚浓度，并改善低α -生育酚饮食大鼠的维生素E水平。1)研究了芝麻对α -生育酚（α -生育酚）含量为10（低）、50（正常）、250（高）mg /kg、添加或不添加20%芝麻的大鼠血浆和组织中生育酚浓度的影响。血浆和组织中α -生育酚的浓度随饲料中α -生育酚含量的增加而逐渐增加。芝麻引起大鼠血浆和组织中α -生育酚含量显著增加。然而，γ -生育酚仅在低α -生育酚+芝麻饲料组中发现，而在正常组和高α -生育酚+芝麻饲料组中均未发现。2)以无维生素E对照日粮、低α -生育酚日粮和添加5%、10%和15%芝麻的低α -生育酚日粮作为维生素E缺乏的指标，研究了血浆、肝脏和肾脏中红细胞溶血、丙酮酸激酶活性和过氧化物的变化。在低α -生育酚日粮中，这些指标较高，而添加5%芝麻籽完全抑制了这些指标，并导致血浆和肝脏中α -生育酚浓度显著升高。3)试验了两种添加芝麻木脂素（芝麻胺或芝麻素）和低α -生育酚的饲粮。实验2中芝麻木脂素饲喂组与芝麻籽饲喂组的结果相当。上述实验表明，芝麻木脂素可提高低α -生育酚日粮大鼠体内维生素E的活性，并可显著提高含α -生育酚日粮的大鼠血液和组织中α -生育酚的浓度。

Three experiments demonstrated that sesame seed and its lignans produce significantly high alpha-tocopherol concentrations and improve vitamin E status in rats fed a low alpha-tocopherol containing diet.1) The effect of sesame seed on tocopherol concentrations in the plasma and tissue was studied in rats fed diets containing 10 (low), 50 (normal), or 250 (high) mg alpha-tocopherol/kg diet with or without 20% sesame seed for 8 weeks. The concentrations of alpha-tocopherol in the plasma and tissue showed a progressive increase paralleling the alpha-tocopherol contents in the diets. Sesame seed caused marked increase of alpha-tocopherol in the plasma and tissue of rats fed any amount of alpha-tocopherol. However, gamma-tocopherol was found only in the low alpha-tocopherol + sesame seed-fed group, and not in the normal or high alpha-tocopherol + sesame seed-fed group.2) Changes in red blood cell hemolysis, pyruvate kinase activity, and peroxides in the plasma, liver and kidney, as indices of vitamin E deficiency, were examined in rats fed five diets : a vitamin E-free control diet, a low alpha-tocopherol diet and three low alpha-tocopherol diets supplemented with 5%, 10%, and 15% sesame seed. These indices were high in the low alpha-tocopherol diet, whereas supplementation with even 5% sesame seed suppressed these indices completely and caused significantly higher concentrations of alpha-tocopherol in the plasma and liver.3) Two diets containing sesame lignan (sesaminol or sesamin) and low alpha-tocopherol were tested.Results in both of the sesame lignan-fed groups were comparable to those observed in the sesame seed-fed groups in Experiment 2. These experiments indicate that sesame seed lignans enhance vitamin E activity in rats fed a low alpha-tocopherol diet and cause a marked increase in alpha-tocopherol concentration in the blood and tissue of rats fed an alpha-tocopherol containing diet with sesame seed or its lignans.