Vitamins are the trace elements required by our body.They may not be required in large amount such as carbohydrate, protein or lipid but are required in trace amount to maintain the metabolic reactions going on in our body. Vitamins are mainly of two types: fat soluble and lipid soluble. Lipid soluble vitamins are stored in our body. Vitamin E is one of the fat soluble vitamins.Its main actions is to scavenge the free radicals. Thus is the major component of our natural anti-oxidant system.It also plays important role in certain biological functions.

1. Prepared By:-
Nidhi A.
Jodhwani

2. 1.Introduction
2.Chemical nature and structure
3.Dietary sources
4.Vit.E as antioxidant
5.Biological functions
6.Requirements / Recommended dietary
allowance(RDA)
7.Deficiency manifestations of Vit.E
8.Hypervitaminosis E

3.  Vitamin E is naturally occurring anti-oxidant.
 It is a fat soluble vitamin.
 It is also known as tocopherols.
tokos=child birth, pheros= to bear, ol=alcoho
 It is also known as “anti sterility/anti infertility
vitamin” because it helps in normal reproduction
in many animals and humans.
 It is also known as a beauty vitamin.

4.  It is soluble in fat & insoluble in water.
 Least toxic vitamin
 They have tocol or chromane ring and isoprenoid
side chain.
 There are eight types of naturally occuring
tocopherols differing from each other in number
or position of methyl group on chromane ring.
e.g. α-tocopherol-5,7,8 trimethyl tocol
β-tocopherol-5,8 dimethyl tocol
γ-tocopherol-5,7 dimethyl tocol
δ-tocopherol-8 methyl tocol

5.  Among all these α-tocopherol is widely
distributed and has the greatest biological
activity.
 -oh group present on 6th C is important for
anti-oxidant property.
 This structure was explained in detail by Poul
Karrer who was awarded noble prize in 1937

6. It is found in
• Cotton seed oil dry soya bean
• Corn oil cabbage
• Sunflower oil lettuce
• Wheat germ oil apple seeds
• Palm oil eggs
• Peanut oil meat
• Many types of milk
vegetable oils butter
NOTE:- Fish liver oil does not contain vit.E

7.  Most powerful natural anti-oxidant.
 It prevents the non-enzymatic oxidation of
various cell components by free oxygen and
free radicals such as O2
- (super oxide) and
H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide).
 Free radicals are continuously being
generated in living system and attacks bio-
membrane.

9.  Essential for membrane structure and integrity
of cell.
 Prevents peroxidation of PUFA.
 Protects RBC from hemolysis.
 Prevents infertility.
 Imp for ETC as it is present in structure of
ubiquinone.
 Prevents oxidation of vit.A
 Storage of creatine in skeletal muscle.
 Plays imp. role in nucleic acid synthesis
 Protects liver from toxic compounds e.g. CCl4
 In prevention of heart disease.

10.  15 mg of vit.E = 33 IU(international unit)
 Children:- 4.5-6.5 mg/day
 Adults :-
Males :-10 mg/day
Females:- In normal :-8 mg/day
During pregnancy:- 10 mg/day
During lactation :- 12 mg/day
 People over 60 years :- 12 mg/day
 Requirement of vit.E is proportional to intake of
PUFA
 Content of vit.E in food decreases during food
processing and freezing

11.  Vary from species to species
 In animals :-
- Mostly associated with infertility
- Degenerative changes in muscle
(muscle dystrophy)
-Magaloblastic anemia
- changes in CNS

12.  In humans :-
In normal adults vit.E stored in body can
meet requirement for several months so
severe symptoms of vit.E deficiency are not
seen .
But in case of induced deficiency of vit.E
symptoms are:-
-Increased fragility of RBC
-Abnormal appearance of cell membrane
-Muscular weakness
-Minor neurological symptoms

13.  At the intake of vit.E above 1000 IU/day it
may cause tendency to homorrhage because
it act as mild anti-coagulant.
 So those who have bleeding disorders should
take precautions before having this vitamin.

14. 1. Textbook of biochemistry for medical students, fourth
edition, DM Vasudevan Sreekumari S, JAYPEE Brothers
medical publishers, New Delhi.
2. Textbook of biochemistry, sixth edition, Dr.M N
Chatterjee, Dr. Rana Shinde, JAYPEE Brothers medical
publishers, New Delhi.
3. Biochemistry, second edition, Dr. D U Satyanarayana,
BOOKS AND ALLIED (P) LTD. Kolkata.