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.

Vitamin E inhibits hemolysis induced by hemin as a membrane stabilizer.

Wang F, Wang T, Lai J, Li M, Zou C

School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650091, China.

Hemin is a potential cytolytic agent. To test the effect of vitamin E on hemin-mediated permeability in cell membranes, sheep erythrocytes were chosen as an appropriate model to study hemolysis induced by hemin. Hemin-induced hemolysis but did not elicit lipid peroxidation in sheep erythrocytes. Vitamin E was effective in inhibiting hemin-mediated hemolysis. Both chromanol ring and the isoprenoid side chain of tocopherols were essential for inhibition of hemin-induced hemolysis. There was a strong correlation between the inhibitory effects of tocopherols on hemin-induced erythrocyte hemolysis and their effects on fluorescence anisotropy of cell membranes. Our results suggested that, in contrast to its antioxidant activity, vitamin E inhibits hemolysis induced by hemin as a membrane stabilizing agent.

Published 13 February 2006 in Biochem Pharmacol, 71(6): 799-805.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Vitamin E Research Today. All Rights Reserved.