Effect of vitamin E on red blood cell preservation.

The effect of exogenous vitamin E (2.1 mg/100 ml) was determined on the preservation of red blood cell integrity (PCV and RBC counts) during long-term storage. Cells from healthy human blood donors, normal rats and rats raised on a vitamin E-deficient diet were stored in CE medium at 4-C for 40-60 days. The addition of vitamin E to the CE medium protected normal rat RBC and those from vitamin E-deficient animals to even a larger extent. Neither the PVC nor RBC count in human blood changed during storage for up to 60 days and no effect of exogenous vitamin E was demonstrable