δ- Tocopherol Slightly Accumulates in the Adipose Tissue of Mice

This study aimed to compare the distribution of vitamin E analogs, particularly alpha-tocopherol and delta-tocopherol, in mice fed with a normal diet and a high-fat and high-sucrose diet separately. We used male C57BL/6JJcl strain mice, which were divided into six groups (control [C], C alpha, C delta, high-fat and high-sucrose [H], H alpha, and H delta groups) and bred for 4 weeks. The additional quantity of alpha-tocopherol or E-mix D (containing 86.7% delta-tocopherol) into diet was 800 mg/kg diet. The final body weight was significantly higher in the H group than in the C group. However, the effects of vitamin E analog intake had no significant difference, with no synergy between vitamin E and diet. Similar results were obtained in epididymal fat weight. Moreover, alpha-tocopherol was mainly distributed in the liver in both the C alpha group and H alpha group, whereas delta-tocopherol mostly accumulated in the epididymal fat, in both the C delta group and H delta group. Also, delta-tocopherol was detected in all tissues in both groups. Both the alpha-tocopherol and delta-tocopherol levels in the epididymal fat were significantly lower in the H group than in the C group. In conclusion, our results suggest that a portion of delta-tocopherol was incorporated into the adipose tissue by chylomicron before arriving at the liver, and then it is metabolized in the liver.