Vitamin E Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin E, including details on benefits, dosage, supplements, antioxidants.

Vesiculated alpha-tocopheryl succinate enhances the anti-tumor effect of dendritic cell vaccines.

Ramanathapuram LV, Hahn T, Graner MW, Katsanis E, Akporiaye ET

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arizona, 1501 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.

Alpha tocopheryl succinate (alpha-TOS) is a non-toxic vitamin E analog under study for its anti-cancer properties. In an earlier study, we showed that alpha-TOS, when used in combination with non-matured dendritic cells (nmDC) to treat pre-established tumors, acts as an effective adjuvant. In this study, we have used vesiculated alpha-TOS (Valpha-TOS), a more soluble form of alpha-TOS that is relevant for clinical use, in combination with dendritic cells to treat pre-established murine tumors. We demonstrate that Valpha-TOS kills tumor cells in vitro and inhibits the growth of pre-established murine lung carcinoma (3LLD122) as effectively as alpha-TOS. The combination of Valpha-TOS plus non-matured or TNF-alpha-matured DC is more effective at inhibiting the growth of established tumors than Valpha-TOS alone. We also observed that Valpha-TOS induces expression of heat shock proteins in tumor cells and that co-incubation of non-matured DC with lysate derived from Valpha-TOS-treated tumor cells leads to DC maturation evidenced by up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules and secretion of IL-12p70. This study therefore demonstrates the immunomodulatory properties of Valpha-TOS that may account for its adjuvant effect when combined with DC vaccines to treat established tumors.

Published 28 November 2005 in Cancer Immunol Immunother, 55(2): 166-77.
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