An Experimental Study on the Efficacy of Vitamin E aganinst Oxygen Toxicity

Since the wide spread application of hyperbaric oxygenation in clinical setting, the problems of oxygen toxicity have been attracting a deep interest from the researchers on hyperbaric medicine as a practical issue. Among extensive research trials, the study on the protective agents against oxygen toxicity occupied one of the most challenging field. As the mechanisms of oxygen toxicity, the role of the oxygen free radicals produced by peroxidation process are strongly accepted by the leading researchers on oxygen toxicity, the probable protective effects of antioxidant against oxygen toxicity are sustaining a sufficient rationale. In this study, the author attempted to evaluate the effect of vitamin E as a protective agent against oxygen toxicity through the observation of death rate, convulsion rate, time to convulsion, and macroscopic and microscopic pathological changes of experimental rats exposed to 100% oxygen at 5 ATA for 120 minutes. The findings observed are as follows: 1) The death rate, convulsion rate, time to convulsion, organ/body weight ratio and microscopic pathological findings were identified as reliable objective and quantitative indices for oxygen toxicity. 2) Vitamin E showed excellent protective effects against CNS and pulmonary oxygen toxicity as a strong antioxidant. The most effective dose seemed to be around 400 mg/kg 3) The results of this study are supporting the oxygen free radical hypothesis on oxygen toxicity.