The effect of vitamin E on experimentally induced peritoneal adhesions in mice
P. Kagoma, S. N. Burger, E. Seifter, S. M. Levenson and A. A. Demetriou
Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated that dietary
supplementation with vitamin A enhances peritoneal adhesion formation in
mice. Other researchers have shown that vitamin E antagonizes some effects
of vitamin A in various systems, eg, wound healing. We investigated our
hypothesis that dietary supplementation with vitamin E would decrease
peritoneal adhesion formation. Adult mice were divided into the following
groups: group 1, which ate a standard chow containing 65 IU of vitamin E
per kilogram diet (twice the National Research Council's recommended daily
allowance for normal mice); and group 2, which ate the same chow
supplemented with vitamin E at 300 IU/kg diet (a nontoxic level). Following
peritoneal ligation, all mice were killed on the tenth postoperative day
and their peritoneal cavities examined for the presence and extent of
adhesions. There was a statistically significant decrease in the incidence
and degree of adhesions in the vitamin E-supplemented animals; these data
supported our hypothesis.
