Influence of Source and Quantity of Supplemental Vitamin E on Equine Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid a-Tocopherol and Its Implication for Neurologic Diseases

Two studies were conducted at the University of California, Davis to measure effects of vitamin E supplementation on serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) α-tocopherol levels.

The first study was conducted to determine if there were differences in serum and CSF α-tocopherol levels between two groups of horses supplemented with two levels of vitamin E as water-soluble natural d-alpha-tocopherol. These results showed that daily administration of 10,000 IU of vitamin E, as water -soluble d-α-tocopherol, was able to cross the blood-brain barrier in healthy horses. This allowed for vitamin E to reach the target site, the brain and spinal cord, and be potentially beneficial for horses with neurologic disease.

The second study was conducted to determine if there were differences in plasma and CSF α-tocopherol levels when horses were supplemented with natural versus synthetic vitamin E. It was concluded that vitamin E supplemented as water-soluble natural d-alpha-tocopherol was transferred across the blood-brain barrier more effectively than an equal IU quantity of synthetic vitamin E.

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Article written by Ed Kane, PhD; Robert L. Stuart, PhD; and Nicola Pusterla, DMV, DMV Habil