Hair fall is a pain. Blame it on our lifestyles, pollution or rampant stress but losing hair is one of the greatest beauty concerns that most women are dealing with today. There are hundreds of miracle products that promise quick hair growth and reducing hair fall but how many can you really vouch have worked for you? That’s probably because most of these products miss one important ingredient that actually stimulates hair growth and can give you the voluminous movie siren hair you have always wanted. We are talking about vitamin E, the most effective and essential ingredient for hair growth.
Monthly Archives: February 2018
Could vitamin E protect against gallstones?
Higher blood levels of Vitamin E may be linked to a lower risk of gallstone disease, finds a recent study published in Nutrients.
Inducers of Senescence, Toxic Compounds, and Senolytics: The Multiple Faces of Nrf2-Activating Phytochemicals in Cancer Adjuvant Therapy
Malavolta M, Bracci M, Santarelli L, Sayeed MA, Pierpaoli E, Giacconi R, Costarelli L, Piacenza F, Basso A, Cardelli M, Provinciali M
Mediators Inflamm. 2018 Feb 12;2018:4159013. doi: 10.1155/2018/4159013. eCollection 2018.
Abstract
The reactivation of senescence in cancer and the subsequent clearance of senescent cells are suggested as therapeutic intervention in the eradication of cancer. Several natural compounds that activate Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-related factor 2) pathway, which is involved in complex cytoprotective responses, have been paradoxically shown to induce cell death or senescence in cancer. Promoting the cytoprotective Nrf2 pathway may be desirable for chemoprevention, but it might be detrimental in later stages and advanced cancers. However, senolytic activity shown by some Nrf2-activating compounds could be used to target senescent cancer cells (particularly in aged immune-depressed organisms) that escape immunosurveillance. We herein describe in vitro and in vivo effects of fifteen Nrf2-interacting natural compounds (tocotrienols, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, quercetin, genistein, resveratrol, silybin, phenethyl isothiocyanate, sulforaphane, triptolide, allicin, berberine, piperlongumine, fisetin, and phloretin) on cellular senescence and discuss their use in adjuvant cancer therapy. In light of available literature, it can be concluded that the meaning and the potential of adjuvant therapy with natural compounds in humans remain unclear, also taking into account the existence of few clinical trials mostly characterized by uncertain results. Further studies are needed to investigate the therapeutic potential of those compounds that display senolytic activity.
What Happens When You Have a Vitamin E Deficiency
In the 1970s, researchers attempted to discover the symptoms of a vitamin E deficiency by providing subjects (read: graduate students) with a diet completely devoid of vitamin E. After a year on this diet, the subjects showed no signs of deficiency. The researchers concluded that vitamin E was vitamin in search of a deficiency syndrome (such as C and scurvy or D and rickets). Later, researchers found that many nutrient deficiencies do not show up as a classical deficiency syndrome, but rather surface years later as heart disease, cancer, or some other catastrophic disease.
Protective effects of rosuvastatin and vitamin E against fipronil-mediated oxidative damage and apoptosis in rat liver and kidney.
Abdel-Daim MM, Abdeen A
Food Chem Toxicol. 2018 Feb 9;114:69-77. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2018.01.055. [Epub ahead of print]
Abstract
Fipronil (FPN) is a phenylpyrazole insecticide that is extensively used in agriculture and veterinary applications. However, FPN is also a potent environmental toxicant to animals and humans. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the protective role of rosuvastatin (ROSU) and vitamin E (Vit E) against FPN-induced hepatorenal toxicity in albino rats. Seven groups with eight rats each were used for this purpose; these groups included the control vehicle group that received corn oil, the Vit E group (1000 mg/kg, orally), the ROSU group (10 mg/kg, orally), the FPN group (20 mg/kg, orally), the FPN-ROSU group, the FPN-Vit E group, and the FPN-Vit E-ROSU group. The results revealed that FPN significantly increased serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, cholesterol, urea, and creatinine. In addition, there were substantial increases in the liver and kidney contents of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide, along with significant decreases in glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. FPN also caused histological changes and increased the expression of caspase-3 in the liver and kidney tissues. However, administration of ROSU and Vit E alone or in combination ameliorated the FPN-induced oxidative damage and apoptosis, possibly through their antioxidant properties.
δ-Tocopherol inhibits the development of prostate adenocarcinoma in prostate specific Pten-/- mice.
Wang H, Yang X, Liu A, Wang G, Bosland MC, Yang CS
Carcinogenesis. 2018 Feb 9;39(2):158-169. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgx128.
Abstract
The PTEN/PI3K/AKT axis plays a critical role in regulating cell growth, differentiation and survival. Activation of this signaling pathway is frequently found in human cancers. Our previous studies demonstrated that δ-tocopherol (δ-T) attenuates the activation of AKT by growth factor in prostate cancer cell lines, leading to inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis. Herein, we investigated whether δ-T inhibits the development of prostate adenocarcinoma in prostate-specific Pten-/- (Ptenp-/-) mice in which the activation of AKT is the major driving force for tumorigenesis. By feeding Ptenp-/- mice with AIN93M or 0.2% δ-T supplemented diet starting at the age of 6 or 12 weeks, we found that δ-T treatment reduced prostate adenocarcinoma multiplicity at the age of 40 weeks by 53.3 and 42.7%, respectively. Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis demonstrated that the phosphorylation of AKT (T308) was reduced in the prostate of the mice administered the δ-T diet. Consistently, proliferation was reduced and apoptosis was increased in prostate lesions of mice on the δ-T diet. Oxidative stress, as determined by IHC staining of 8-OH-dG, was not altered during prostate tumorigenesis, nor was it affected by administration of δ-T. In contrast, α-tocopherol (α-T) at 0.2% in the diet did not affect prostate adenocarcinoma multiplicity in the Ptenp-/- mice. This finding is consistent with data from our previous study that δ-T, but not α-T, inhibits the activation of AKT and the growth of prostate cancer cells. Together, these results demonstrate that δ-T inhibits the development of prostate adenocarcinoma in Ptenp-/- mice, mainly through inhibition of AKT activation.
Association of Alpha Tocopherol and Ag Sulfadiazine Chitosan Oleate Nanocarriers in Bioactive Dressings Supporting Platelet Lysate Application to Skin Wounds.
Bonferoni MC, Sandri G, Rossi S, Dellera E, Invernizzi A, Boselli C, Cornaglia AI, Del Fante C, Perotti C, Vigani B, Riva F, Caramella C, Ferrari F
Mar Drugs. 2018 Feb 9;16(2). pii: E56. doi: 10.3390/md16020056.
Abstract
Chitosan oleate was previously proposed to encapsulate in nanocarriers some poorly soluble molecules aimed to wound therapy, such as the anti-infective silver sulfadiazine, and the antioxidant α tocopherol. Because nanocarriers need a suitable formulation to be administered to wounds, in the present paper, these previously developed nanocarriers were loaded into freeze dried dressings based on chitosan glutamate. These were proposed as bioactive dressings aimed to support the application to wounds of platelet lysate, a hemoderivative rich in growth factors. The dressings were characterized for hydration capacity, morphological aspect, and rheological and mechanical behavior. Although chitosan oleate nanocarriers clearly decreased the mechanical properties of dressings, these remained compatible with handling and application to wounds. Preliminary studies in vitro on fibroblast cell cultures demonstrated good compatibility of platelet lysate with nanocarriers and bioactive dressings. An in vivo study on a murine wound model showed an accelerating wound healing effect for the bioactive dressing and its suitability as support of the platelet lysate application to wounds.
Vitamin E found to have bone health benefits: Research finds it improves bone density in postmenopausal women
A new study revealed that vitamin E — in particular tocotrienol — could improve the bone density of postmenopausal women. The study was carried out by a group of scientists from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and the Georgia State University who assessed the benefit of vitamin E to bone health.
“This study showed that supplementation of tocotrienols, mainly delta-tocotrienols, suppressed bone [bone remodeling regulators],” the researchers wrote in the report. “Such osteoprotective tocotrienol’s effects may be, in part, mediated by an inhibition of oxidative stress.”
The antioxidant status of coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E in children with type 1 diabetes.
Alkholy UM, Abdalmonem N, Zaki A, Elkoumi MA, Hashim MIA, Basset MAA, Salah HE
J Pediatr (Rio J). 2018 Feb 7. pii: S0021-7557(17)30834-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jped.2017.12.005. [Epub ahead of print]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant status of plasma vitamin E and plasma and intracellular coenzyme Q10 in children with type 1 diabetes.
METHOD:
This case-control study was conducted on 72 children with type 1 diabetes and compared to 48 healthy children, who were age, sex, and ethnicity-matched. The diabetic children were divided according to their glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c %) into two groups: poor and good glycemic control groups. All children underwent full history taking, clinical examination, and laboratory measurement of complete blood count, A1c %, plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, and vitamin E levels and coenzyme Q10 levels in plasma, erythrocytes, and platelets.
RESULTS:
Children with poor glycemic control showed significantly higher plasma vitamin E, coenzyme Q10, triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins, waist circumference/height ratio, cholesterol levels, and lower high-density lipoproteins and platelet coenzyme Q10 redox status in comparison to those with good glycemic control and the control group (p<0.05). Plasma coenzyme Q10 showed a positive correlation with the duration of type 1 diabetes, triglycerides, cholesterol, vitamin E, and A1c %, and negative correlation with the age of the diabetic group (p<0.05). The platelet redox status showed a negative correlation with the A1c % levels (r=-0.31; p=0.022) and the duration of type 1 diabetes (r=-0.35, p=0.012).
CONCLUSION:
Patients with type 1 diabetes, especially poorly controlled, had elevation of plasma vitamin E and coenzyme Q10 levels and decreased platelet redox status of coenzyme Q10, which may be an indicator of increased oxidative stress.
Tocotrienols Regulate Bone Loss through Suppression on Osteoclast Differentiation and Activity: A Systematic Review.
Radzi NFM, Ismail NAS, Alias E
Curr Drug Targets. 2018 Feb 6. doi: 10.2174/1389450119666180207092539. [Epub ahead of print]
Abstract
There are accumulating studies reporting vitamin E in general exhibits bone protective effects. This systematic review, however discusses the effects of a group of vitamin E isomers, tocotrienols in preventing bone loss through osteoclast differentiation and activity suppression. This review is aimed to discuss the literature reporting the effects of tocotrienols on osteoclasts, the cells specialized for resorbing bone. Literature search for relevant studies was conducted using SCOPUS and PUBMED MEDLINE. The inclusion criteria were original research articles published that reported the effect of any tocotrienol isomers or treatment with mixture containing tocotrienols on osteoclasts. Out of the total 22 studies from the literature search, only 11 of them were identified as relevant, which comprised of eight animal studies, two in vitro studies and only one combination of both. The in vivo studies indicated that tocotrienols improve the bone health and reduce bone loss via inhibition of osteoclast formation and resorption activity, which could be through regulation of RANKL and OPG expression as seen from their levels in the sera. This is well supported by data from the in vitro studies demonstrating the suppression of osteoclast formation and resorption activity following treatment with tocotrienol isomers. Thus, tocotrienols are suggested to be potential antioxidants for prevention and treatment of bone-related diseases characterized by increased bone loss.