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Plasma α- and γ-tocopherol have different pattern during normal human pregnancy

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Abstract

Plasma α- and γ-tocopherol were monitored in pregnant women throughout healthy gestational periods and after delivery and were compared with that of non pregnant women. The mean plasma α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol concentrations in non pregnant Saudi women (15.2 ± 1.3 and 1.8 ± 0.2 μol/l respectively) were found within normal range. The maternal plasma α-tocopherol level steadily increased reaching maximum level (19.1 ± 1.6 μmol/l) at late gestation and then gradually decreased after delivery. On the contrary, the optimum level of γ-tocopherol (2.1 ± 0.2 μmol/l) was at mid gestation, followed by a progressive decrease until one month after delivery (1.5 ± 0.1 μol/l). This study shows that the maternal plasma α- and γ-tocopherol have different profiles that may be attributed to their different responses to the changes in maternal lipids during pregnancy.

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Al Senaidy, A.M. Plasma α- and γ-tocopherol have different pattern during normal human pregnancy. Mol Cell Biochem 154, 71–75 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00248463

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