These data suggest thatα-tocopherol could be not only an antioxidant
as was reported in Ripoll et al. (2013) but perhaps also a regulator of gene
expression through its biological effects on genes or transcription factors
in muscle and fat lamb; these effectsmay include not only binding to nuclear
factors (Eggermont, 2006) but also up-regulating the expression of
those nuclear factors/receptors. The elucidation of thismolecular event affected
by α-tocopherol could reveal the detailed molecular mechanisms
by which vitamin E affects biological functions in muscle and fat of light
lamb. The use of ‘-omic’ technologies offers the ability to determine how
nutrients interact with metabolic pathways (Go et al., 2005; Zeisel et al.,
2005) and can offer insights into the complex relationships between
diet and metabolism (Rimbach et al., 2010).
5. Conclusions