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Further Studies on Vitamin E Deficiency in the Lamb¹

Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station

Abstract

An experiment was set up to study further the effects of vitamin E deficiency in the lamb. The results of this work confirmed findings of previous investigations. The main manifestation of vitamin E deficiency was muscular weakness which developed parallel to the muscular dystrophy. Evidence of muscular defection were wobbling joints, dragging feet, mild stiffness of the legs and a peculiar marching gait.

Treatment with dl--tocopherol acetate was again shown effective to cure and prevent vitamin E deficiency in the lamb. However, dl--tocopherol acetate was ineffective in completely restoring the health of lambs in an advanced stage of vitamin E deficiency.

Treatment with cortisone and prostigmine attenuated, to a certain extent, the symptoms of vitamin E deficiency. However, it seemed that these drugs did not have a predominant influence on the development of muscular dystrophy due to vitamin E deficiency.

Lambs showing symptoms of vitamin E deficiency had high creatine values in the urine, ranging from 177 to 412 mg. per day and low values of total tocopherol in the blood plasma which ranged from 0.050 to 0.081 mg. per 100 ml. of blood plasma.

Histological changes of skeletal muscles due to vitamin E deficiency can be described as a process involving hyaline degeneration of the sarcoplasma and a coagulation necrosis in the presence of cellular infiltration. Except for the absence of giant cells in the degenerated cardiac muscles, the heart lesions were similar to those of skeletal muscles. They progressed from the endocardium to the epicardium without damaging the Purkinje fibers.

The comparison of symptoms and histological findings in vitamin E deficient and "stiff lambs" suggests the possible influence of other factors in addition to the absence of tocopherols in the case of "stiff-lamb" disease.

¹ Published with the approval of the Director of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station as Journal Article No. 1346.

² The data contained in this paper are a portion of the research and theses presented by the senior authors (F. A. Bacigalupo and R. Culik) in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, School of Graduate Studies, Michigan State College, East Lansing.

³ Departments of Agricultural Chemistry, Animal Husbandry and Animal Pathology, Michigan State College, East Lansing. The authors are indebted to Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey and Lederle Laboratories Division, American Cyanamid Co. for the B vitamins. The authors wish to thank Mr. M. L. Gray for the illustrations used in this paper. This work was supported by a grant from Swift and Co., Chicago, Illinois.