Blog Archives

Randomized controlled open-label study of the effect of vitamin E supplementation on fertility in clomiphene citrate-resistant polycystic ovary syndrome

Ahmed A Morsy, Nagwa A Sabri, Abdelrehim M Mourad, Eman M Mojahed, May A Shawki

J Obstet Gynaecol Res . 2020 Sep 3. doi: 10.1111/jog.14467. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the effect of vitamin E on ovulation and pregnancy in women with clomiphene citrate (CC)-resistant polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Methods: A prospective, randomized, controlled, open label study was conducted on women with CC-resistant PCOS. Patients were randomized, to either control group (n = 30), who received metformin 500 mg thrice daily, in addition to 150 mg/day CC for 5 days starting from day 3 of menstruation for three menstruation cycles, or vitamin E group (n = 30) who received vitamin E 1500 IU/day for the whole study period in addition to metformin and CC with the same previous regimen. The primary outcome was cumulative ovulation rate, while secondary outcomes were pregnancy rate, serum midluteal progesterone, mean follicular diameter, number of dominant follicles and endometrial thickness.

Results: Ovulation was reported in 57 (64.8%) of 88 cycles in the control group and 63 (73.3%) of 86 cycles in the vitamin E group (P = 0.227), while pregnancy was reported in 4 (4.5%) of 88 cycles in the control group and 6 (7%) of 86 cycles in the vitamin E group (P = 0.491).There were nonsignificant differences between groups regarding serum midluteal progesterone, number of dominant follicles and mean follicular diameter. Endometrial thickness was significantly higher in the vitamin E group compared to the control group.

Conclusion: The findings of this trial do not support the hypothesis that vitamin E may increase the ovulation and pregnancy rates in women with clomiphene citrate-resistant PCOS.

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Does ‘Dry Hit’ vaping of vitamin E acetate contribute to EVALI? Simulating toxic ketene formation during e-cigarette use

Milad Narimani, Gabriel da Silva

PLoS One . 2020 Sep 3;15(9):e0238140. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238140. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Vitamin E acetate (VEA) is strongly linked to the outbreak of electronic-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). It has been proposed that VEA decomposition to ketene-a respiratory poison that damages lungs at low ppm levels-may play a role in EVALI. However, there is no information available on the temperature at which VEA decomposes and how this correlates with the vaping process. We have studied the temperature-dependent kinetics of VEA decomposition using quantum chemical and statistical mechanical modelling techniques, developing a chemical kinetic model of the vaping process. This model predicts that, under typical vaping conditions, the use of VEA contaminated e-cigarette products is unlikely to produce ketene at harmful levels. However, at the high temperatures encountered at low e-cigarette product levels, which produce ‘dry hits’, ketene concentrations are predicted to reach acutely toxic levels in the lungs (as high as 30 ppm). We therefore hypothesize that dry hit vaping of e-cigarette products containing VEA contributes to EVALI.

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Effect of encapsulated vitamin E on physical, storage and retention parameters in cookies

Kamaljit Kaur, Jasdeep Singh, Vipandeep Singh

J Food Sci Technol . 2020 Sep;57(9):3509-3517. doi: 10.1007/s13197-020-04386-6. Epub 2020 Apr 8.

Abstract

Microencapsulated α-tocopherol and wheat germ oil (WGO) were incorporated as WGO (5.0 ml) in liquid: WGO-L, encapsulated: WGO-E, encapsulated α-tocopherol as E1, E2 and E3 at 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 g respectively in cookies and evaluated for physical, sensory and shelf life parameters. Spread ratio was decreased, whereas hardness was increased with encapsulated formulations and observed least in WGO-L (40.52 N) formulated cookies. During storage moisture content was observed increased (2.51-4.78%), vitamin E was retained in all formulations except WGO-L and was found maximum in E3 (4.45 mg/100 g) formulated cookies. Formulations brought the peroxide value to nil, free fatty acid development was very less, better antioxidant activity (41.1% maximum), total plate count was observed least in E3 (25 × 102 cfu/g) and good sensory acceptance of cookies up to 4 months of storage. The study concluded that encapsulated vitamin E elevated the antioxidant activity and consequently shelf life and nutritive value of cookies.

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Dietary Intervention Accelerates NASH Resolution Depending on Inflammatory Status with Minor Additive Effects on Hepatic Injury by Vitamin E Supplementation

Julie Hviid Klaebel, Günaj Rakipovski, Birgitte Andersen, Jens Lykkesfeldt, Pernille Tveden-Nyborg

Antioxidants (Basel) . 2020 Sep 1;9(9):E808. doi: 10.3390/antiox9090808.

Abstract

Despite the lack of effective pharmacotherapy against nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver fibrosis, vitamin E (vitE) supplementation and lifestyle modifications are recommended for the management of NASH due to promising clinical results. We recently reported a positive effect of supplementation with 800 IU vitE and atorvastatin on NASH resolution in guinea pigs. In the present study, we investigated the effect of high-dose vitE therapy combined with dietary intervention against progressive NASH and advanced fibrosis in the guinea pig model. Sixty-six guinea pigs received either high-fat (HF) or standard guinea pig chow diet (Control) for 25 weeks. Prior to eight weeks of intervention, HF animals were allocated into groups; dietary intervention (Chow) or dietary intervention with 2000 IU/d vitE supplementation (CvitE). Both Chow and CvitE reduced dyslipidemia, hepatic lipid accumulation and liver weight (p < 0.05), while CvitE further decreased hepatocellular ballooning (p < 0.05). Subanalyses of individual responses within intervention groups showed significant correlation between the hepatic hallmarks of NASH and lipid accumulation vs. inflammatory state (p < 0.05). Collectively, our results indicate that individual differences in sensitivity towards intervention and inflammatory status determine the potential beneficial effect of dietary intervention and high-dose vitE supplementation. Moreover, the study suggests that inflammation is a primary target in NASH treatment.

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Vitamin E treatment in NAFLD patients demonstrates that oxidative stress drives steatosis through upregulation of de-novo lipogenesis

Maren C Podszun, Ahmad S Alawad, Shilpa Lingala, Nevitt Morris, Wen-Chun A Huang, Shanna Yang, Megan Schoenfeld, Adam Rolt, Ronald Ouwerkerk, Kristin Valdez, Regina Umarova, Yanling Ma, Syeda Zaheen Fatima, Dennis D Lin, Lakshmi S Mahajan, Niharika Samala, Pierre-Christian Violet, Mark Levine, Robert Shamburek, Ahmed M Gharib, David E Kleiner, H Martin Garraffo, Hongyi Cai, Peter J Walter, Yaron Rotman

Redox Biol . 2020 Sep 1;37:101710. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2020.101710. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Oxidative stress (OS) in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) promotes liver injury and inflammation. Treatment with vitamin E (α-tocopherol, αT), a lipid-soluble antioxidant, improves liver injury but also decreases steatosis, thought to be upstream of OS, through an unknown mechanism. To elucidate the mechanism, we combined a mechanistic human trial interrogating pathways of intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) accumulation and in vitro experiments. 50% of NAFLD patients (n = 20) treated with αT (200-800 IU/d) for 24 weeks had a ≥ 25% relative decrease in IHTG by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Paired liver biopsies at baseline and week 4 of treatment revealed a decrease in markers of hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) that strongly predicted week 24 response. In vitro, using HepG2 cells and primary human hepatocytes, αT inhibited glucose-induced DNL by decreasing SREBP-1 processing and lipogenic gene expression. This mechanism is dependent on the antioxidant capacity of αT, as redox-silenced methoxy-αT is unable to inhibit DNL in vitro. OS by itself was sufficient to increase S2P expression in vitro, and S2P is upregulated in NAFLD livers. In summary, we utilized αT to demonstrate a vicious cycle in which NAFLD generates OS, which feeds back to augment DNL and increases steatosis.

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Hair loss treatment: The vitamin supplement shown to promote hair growth

According to a review article published in the International Journal of Trichology, oxidative stress is prevalent in many skin conditions, including normal skin ageing. Oxidative stress also appears to play a role in premature hair loss, the article says. Patients with alopecia generally exhibit lower levels of antioxidants in their scalp area, which further supports this association, notes a study published in the Tropical Life Sciences Research. In light of this fact, a study was conducted to investigate the effect of tocotrienol supplementation on hair growth in volunteers suffering from hair loss.

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Hair loss treatment: The vitamin supplement shown to promote hair growth

According to a review article published in the International Journal of Trichology, oxidative stress is prevalent in many skin conditions, including normal skin ageing. Oxidative stress also appears to play a role in premature hair loss, the article says. Patients with alopecia generally exhibit lower levels of antioxidants in their scalp area, which further supports this association, notes a study published in the Tropical Life Sciences Research. In light of this fact, a study was conducted to investigate the effect of tocotrienol supplementation on hair growth in volunteers suffering from hair loss.

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The effect of royal jelly and tocotrienol-rich fraction along with calorie restriction on hypothalamic endoplasmic reticulum stress and adipose tissue inflammation in diet-induced obese rats

Pardis Irandoost, Naimeh Mesri Alamdari, Atoosa Saidpour, Farzad Shidfar, Farnaz Farsi, Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi, Mohammad Reza Alivand, Mohammadreza Vafa

BMC Res Notes . 2020 Aug 31;13(1):409. doi: 10.1186/s13104-020-05258-0.

Abstract

Objectives: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress causes adipose tissue dysfunction and chronic inflammation in obesity. Royal jelly (RJ) and tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) are reported to ameliorate inflammation. However, the improving effects of RJ and TRF on inflammation from ER stress modulating view have not been assessed so far. Hence, we investigated the effect of RJ and TRF on ER stress and some adipose tissue-derived inflammatory markers in the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. Wistar obese rats randomly allocated into 5 groups: HFD, calorie restriction diet (CRD), RJ + CRD, TRF + CRD, RJ + TRF + CRD. After 8-week intervention, adipose tissues and hypothalamus were dissected and serum was collected.

Results: RJ reduced glucose-regulated protein-78 (GRP78) expression as ER stress indicator in WAT and hypothalamus compared to CRD. Besides, RJ diminished the expression of inflammatory markers in white adipose tissue (WAT) and also decreased the serum concentration of them. TRF reduced inflammatory markers in the serum without remarkable effects on ER stress. Overall, RJ has protective effect against adipose tissue dysfunction and inflammation then suggested as a therapeutic approach to reduce some obesity-related complications. The impact of TRF in this regard is lower than RJ and limited to systemic inflammation improvement without remarkable changes in adipose tissue inflammation.

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The effect of royal jelly and tocotrienol-rich fraction along with calorie restriction on hypothalamic

Pardis Irandoost, Naimeh Mesri Alamdari, Atoosa Saidpour, Farzad Shidfar, Farnaz Farsi, Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi, Mohammad Reza Alivand, Mohammadreza Vafa

BMC Res Notes . 2020 Aug 31;13(1):409. doi: 10.1186/s13104-020-05258-0.

Abstract

Objectives: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress causes adipose tissue dysfunction and chronic inflammation in obesity. Royal jelly (RJ) and tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) are reported to ameliorate inflammation. However, the improving effects of RJ and TRF on inflammation from ER stress modulating view have not been assessed so far. Hence, we investigated the effect of RJ and TRF on ER stress and some adipose tissue-derived inflammatory markers in the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. Wistar obese rats randomly allocated into 5 groups: HFD, calorie restriction diet (CRD), RJ + CRD, TRF + CRD, RJ + TRF + CRD. After 8-week intervention, adipose tissues and hypothalamus were dissected and serum was collected.

Results: RJ reduced glucose-regulated protein-78 (GRP78) expression as ER stress indicator in WAT and hypothalamus compared to CRD. Besides, RJ diminished the expression of inflammatory markers in white adipose tissue (WAT) and also decreased the serum concentration of them. TRF reduced inflammatory markers in the serum without remarkable effects on ER stress. Overall, RJ has protective effect against adipose tissue dysfunction and inflammation then suggested as a therapeutic approach to reduce some obesity-related complications. The impact of TRF in this regard is lower than RJ and limited to systemic inflammation improvement without remarkable changes in adipose tissue inflammation.

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Vitamin E reduces radiation injury of hippocampal neurons in mice by inhibiting ferroptosis

Chen Ren, Xuanzi Li, Shasha Du

Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao . 2020 Aug 30;40(8):1097-1102. doi: 10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2020.08.05.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the protective effect of vitamin E (VE) against radiation injury of hippocampal neurons in mice and explore the possible mechanism.

Methods: Cultured HT-22 and U251 cells with or without exposure to 8 Gy irradiation were treated with VE (200 μmol/L for 24 h), ferroptosis inhibitor (ferrostatin-1, 5 μmol/L for 24 h), apoptosis inhibitor (ZVAD-FMK, 2 μmol/L), or necroptosis inhibitor (100 μmol/L). MTT assay was used to evaluate the cell viability after the treatments, and reduced glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), lipid reactive oxygen species (lipid ROS), and intracellular iron ion levels were detected for assessment of ferroptosis. The mice exposed to 16 Gy irradiation with or without vitamin E (500 U/kg) treatment for 6 weeks were assessed for behavioral changes and cognitive functions using Morris water maze test.

Results: Treatment with VE significantly promoted the cell survival following irradiation in HT-22 cells (P &lt; 0.05) but not in U251 cells (P &gt; 0.05). Ferrostatin-1, but not ZVAD or the necroptosis inhibitor, promoted the survival of HT-22 cells following the irradiation. Exposure to irradiation significantly increased ferroptosis-related oxidative stress level in HT-22 cells, manifested by decreased GSH level and increased MDA, lipid ROS and intracellular iron ion levels (P &lt; 0.05); treatment with VE and ferrostatin-1 both obviously reversed radiation-induced ferroptosis-related oxidative stress in the cells (P &lt; 0.05). In Morris water maze test, the mice with radiation exposure showed obviously increased exploration time and distance (P &lt; 0.05), which were significantly decreased after treatment with VE (P &lt; 0.05).

Conclusions: Vitamin E reduces radiation injury by inhibiting ferroptosis in the hippocampal neurons in mice.

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