Ozone toxicity: Effect of dietary vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids

The roles of vitamin E and dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the acute toxicity of ozone have been investigated. After equilibration on test diets, the lung lipids of male CD-1 mice had an altered peroxidizability index (PI) which was effected by the content of dietary PUFA but not by vitamin E acetate. Mice fed 0 or 10.5 vitamin E acetate had the same mortality (LT50 of 29–32 days) on exposure to 1 ppm ozone, regardless of the significant differences in lung PI between groups fed high or low PUFA diets. High supplemental levels (105.0 ) of vitamin E acetate were protective and delayed the LT50 to 1 ppm ozone by an average of 15 days. The mode of action of vitamin E and the interaction with high levels of PUFA and ozone appear complex.