Blog Archives

Effect of vitamin E on reversibility of renal function following discontinuation of colistin in rats: Histological and biochemical investigations.

Ghlissi Z, Hakim A, Mnif H, Kallel R, Zeghal K, Boudawara T, Sahnoun Z

Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl. 2018 Jan-Feb;29(1):10-18. doi: 10.4103/1319-2442.225205.

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate spontaneous renal regeneration after stopping colistin methanesulfonate (CMS), which induces tubular damage, and the curative effect of Vitamin E (vit E) in rats. Animals were given the following: sterile saline (n = 6), 300,000 IU/kg/ day of CMS (n = 24), or 450,000 IU/kg/day of CMS (n = 24) for seven days. Each CMS group was subdivided into four subgroups (n = 6) and sacrificed as follows: (i) 12 h after stopping CMS, (ii) two weeks after stopping CMS, (iii) two weeks after stopping treatment with vit E, and (iv) two weeks after stopping treatment with olive oil. Subsequently, plasma creatinine (pCr), urine N-acetyl-b-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), renal tissue level of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GSH), and renal histology were tested. CMS-induced tubular damage increased the NAG and MDA levels and decreased the SOD and GSH activities. After two weeks of stopping CMS, there was no significant renal recovery. However, treatment with vit E improved tubular regeneration and reduced the biochemical impairments. Two weeks might not be long enough for significant spontaneous renal regeneration. Improvement of renal parameters by vit E could be explained by the reduction of oxidative stress damage.

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Antioxidant Tocols as Radiation Countermeasures (Challenges to be Addressed to Use Tocols as Radiation Countermeasures in Humans).

Nukala U, Thakkar S, Krager KJ, Breen PJ, Compadre CM, Aykin-Burns N

Antioxidants (Basel). 2018 Feb 23;7(2). pii: E33. doi: 10.3390/antiox7020033.

Abstract

Radiation countermeasures fall under three categories, radiation protectors, radiation mitigators, and radiation therapeutics. Radiation protectors are agents that are administered before radiation exposure to protect from radiation-induced injuries by numerous mechanisms, including scavenging free radicals that are generated by initial radiochemical events. Radiation mitigators are agents that are administered after the exposure of radiation but before the onset of symptoms by accelerating the recovery and repair from radiation-induced injuries. Whereas radiation therapeutic agents administered after the onset of symptoms act by regenerating the tissues that are injured by radiation. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals generated by radiation exposure by donating H atoms. The vitamin E family consists of eight different vitamers, including four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Though alpha-tocopherol was extensively studied in the past, tocotrienols have recently gained attention as radiation countermeasures. Despite several studies performed on tocotrienols, there is no clear evidence on the factors that are responsible for their superior radiation protection properties over tocopherols. Their absorption and bioavailability are also not well understood. In this review, we discuss tocopherol’s and tocotrienol‘s efficacy as radiation countermeasures and identify the challenges to be addressed to develop them into radiation countermeasures for human use in the event of radiological emergencies.

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Preparation of Vitamin E-Containing High-Density Lipoprotein and Its Protective Efficacy on Macrophages

Su M, Wang D, Chang W, Liu L, Cui M, Xu T

Assay Drug Dev Technol. 2018 Feb 22. doi: 10.1089/adt.2017.831. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is a major cause for cardiovascular diseases. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) may reduce atherosclerosis through several different mechanisms. HDL is composed of lipids, cholesterol, cholesteryl esters, triglycerides, and phospholipids, mainly phosphatidylcholine plus specialized proteins called apolipoproteins (apos). In this study, we prepared vitamin E containing HDL (VE-HDL) that contains egg phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, vitamin E, and two kinds of recombinant human apolipoproteins (rhapo)-rhapoA-I and rhapoE in vitro by the facilitation of cholate. After that, we studied the effects of VE-HDL on foam cell formation, cellular cholesterol efflux, oxidative low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL)-stimulated oxidative stress, and apoptosis of macrophages to evaluate the protective efficacy of VE-HDL on macrophages. As the results showed, we prepared a new type of reconstituent HDL with apolipoproteins and vitamin E for the first time. VE-HDL has protective efficacy on macrophages. It has the prospect of becoming a therapeutic agent on atherosclerosis in the future.

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Neurobiological Correlates of Alpha-Tocopherol Antiepileptogenic Effects and MicroRNA Expression Modulation in a Rat Model of Kainate-Induced Seizures.

Ambrogini P, Albertini MC, Betti M, Galati C, Lattanzi D, Savelli D, Di Palma M, Saccomanno S, Bartolini D, Torquato P, Ruffolo G, Olivieri F, Galli F, Palma E, Minelli A, Cuppini R

Mol Neurobiol. 2018 Feb 22. doi: 10.1007/s12035-018-0946-7. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract

Seizure-triggered maladaptive neural plasticity and neuroinflammation occur during the latent period as a key underlying event in epilepsy chronicization. Previously, we showed that α-tocopherol (α-T) reduces hippocampal neuroglial activation and neurodegeneration in the rat model of kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus (SE). These findings allowed us to postulate an antiepileptogenic potential for α-T in hippocampal excitotoxicity, in line with clinical evidence showing that α-T improves seizure control in drug-resistant patients. To explore neurobiological correlates of the α-T antiepileptogenic role, rats were injected with such vitamin during the latent period starting right after KA-induced SE, and the effects on circuitry excitability, neuroinflammation, neuronal death, and microRNA (miRNA) expression were investigated in the hippocampus. Results show that in α-T-treated epileptic rats, (1) the number of population spikes elicited by pyramidal neurons, as well as the latency to the onset of epileptiform-like network activity recover to control levels; (2) neuronal death is almost prevented; (3) down-regulation of claudin, a blood-brain barrier protein, is fully reversed; (4) neuroinflammation processes are quenched (as indicated by the decrease of TNF-α, IL-1β, GFAP, IBA-1, and increase of IL-6); (5) miR-146a, miR-124, and miR-126 expression is coherently modulated in hippocampus and serum by α-T. These findings support the potential of a timely intervention with α-T in clinical management of SE to reduce epileptogenesis, thus preventing chronic epilepsy development. In addition, we suggest that the analysis of miRNA levels in serum could provide clinicians with a tool to evaluate disease evolution and the efficacy of α-T therapy in SE.

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Decreasing stress-induced gastritis – The Star

Suffering from stress-induced gastritis? Palm vitamin E may be the solution. Studies on the use of this vitamin in rats have shown that it reduces stress-induced gastritis. The rats, which were pre-treated with palm vitamin E, had gastritis induced in them following the stress of being immersed in water.

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An E-xcellent local oil – The Star

They are a source of energy and nutrients for our bodies, as well as antioxidants that protect our cells against the effects of free radicals and help to reduce inflammation. These are the good oils that should form a small but essential part of our daily diet. While there are many types of oils out there, an excellent one in our very own backyard is palm oil, which contains a high level of vitamin E.

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The hair growth elixir we need in our life- vitamin E

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.

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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.

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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.

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