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 analogues inhibit angiogenesis by selective induction of apoptosis in proliferating endothelial cells: the role of oxidative stress.

Dong LF, Swettenham E, Eliasson J, Wang XF, Gold M, Medunic Y, Stantic M, Low P, Prochazka L, Witting PK, Turanek J, Akporiaye ET, Ralph SJ, Neuzil J

Apoptosis Research Group, School of Medical Science, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia.

"Mitocans" from the vitamin E group of selective anticancer drugs, alpha-tocopheryl succinate (alpha-TOS) and its ether analogue alpha-TEA, triggered apoptosis in proliferating but not arrested endothelial cells. Angiogenic endothelial cells exposed to the vitamin E analogues, unlike their arrested counterparts, readily accumulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) by interfering with the mitochondrial redox chain and activating the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. The vitamin E analogues inhibited angiogenesis in vitro as assessed using the "wound-healing" and "tube-forming" models. Endothelial cells deficient in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were resistant to the vitamin E analogues, both in ROS accumulation and apoptosis induction, maintaining their angiogenic potential. alpha-TOS inhibited angiogenesis in a mouse cancer model, as documented by ultrasound imaging. We conclude that vitamin E analogues selectively kill angiogenic endothelial cells, suppressing tumor growth, which has intriguing clinical implications.

Published 19 December 2007 in Cancer Res, 67(24): 11906-13.
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