α-Tocopheryl phosphate--an activated form of vitamin E important for angiogenesis and vasculogenesis?

The effect of red fruit oil (Pandanus conoideus Lamk.) emulgel on angiogenesis and collagen density in incisive wound healing in mice (Mus musculus)

Pandanus conoideus Lamk. or commonly known as red fruit oil (RFO) can be used to accelerate wound healing because it contains tocopherols, carotenoids, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid. The RFO in this study was formulated in the form of an emulgel because it has the most convenient and effective drug delivery system. The aims of this study were to determine the activity of RFO emulgel on increasing the amount of angiogenesis and collagen density in incised wound healing and to determine the optimal dose of RFO emulgel to increase the amount of angiogenesis and collagen density in incised wound healing. This was a true experimental study with a posttest only control group design that included five treatment groups: a positive control group (10% povidone-iodine), a negative control (gel base), and three groups that varied the concentration of RFO emulgel used at 5%, 10%, and 15%. Parameters observed were the amount of angiogenesis using Image Raster software and the percentage of areas of collagen density using ImageJ software. The data were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA test and continued with the least significant difference test. The results of this study showed that RFO emulgel was able to increase the amount of angiogenesis and collagen density in the wound healing process with P = 0.000. An increase in the amount of angiogenesis and collagen density occurred in mice treated with RFO compared to the positive and negative control groups. It can be concluded that RFO emulgel has activity toward increasing the amount of angiogenesis and collagen density in the wound healing of mice incisions. The optimal dose concentration of RFO emulgel for increasing the amount of angiogenesis and collagen density in incision wound healing was shown in RFO emulgel with a concentration of 15%.

Omega-3 and Vitamin E Supplementation Effect on Reactive Oxygen Species and Placental Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor: Pre-eclampsia Model

BACKGROUND: Pre-eclampsia (PE) has been associated with oxidative stress and inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E have beneficial function to maintain cell membrane, prevent oxidative stress, and inhibit the production of proinflammatory cytokines. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of omega-3 and vitamin E supplement to Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and placental Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) on PE rats model. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the effect of omega-3 and vitamin E supplementation on ROS and placental VEGF. METHODS: This research has been carried out at animal house and Biomedical Laboratory of the Medical Faculty Andalas University. The design of this research was experimental study with post-test only control group design. Thirty pregnant rats were divided into five groups. Group K-without treatment, group K+ was given L-NAME, group P1 was given L-NAME + omega-3, group P2 was given L-NAME + vitamin E, and group P3 was given L-NAME + omega-3 + vitamin E. The L-NAME dose was 50 mg/kg/day. At the 19th day of gestation, the pregnancy was terminated and the blood serum was used for examination of ROS and placental tissue was collected for examination of VEGF using ELISA kit. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and post hoc test Bonferoni. RESULTS: The analysis results found that there were significant differences between omega-3 and vitamin E supplements on ROS levels and placental VEGF levels. Administration of omega-3 only or combination with vitamin E can effectively improve endothelial function by increasing the level of VEGF. CONCLUSION: Omega-3 (DHA 120 mg, EPA 180 mg) and vitamin E (α-tocopherol 300 iu) supplement decreased ROS and increased placental VEGF on pre-eclampsia rats model.

Modulation of CD36-mediated lipid accumulation and senescence by vitamin E analogs in monocytes and macrophages

The CD36/FAT scavenger receptor/fatty acids transporter regulates cellular lipid accumulation important for inflammation, atherosclerosis, lipotoxicity, and initiation of cellular senescence. Here we compared the regulatory effects of the vitamin E analogs alpha-tocopherol (αT), alpha-tocopheryl phosphate (αTP), and αTP/βCD (a nanocarrier complex between αTP and β-cyclodextrin [βCD]) and investigated their regulatory effects on lipid accumulation, phagocytosis, and senescence in THP-1 monocytes and macrophages. Both, αTP and αTP/βCD inhibited CD36 surface exposition stronger than αT leading to more pronounced CD36-mediated events such as inhibition of DiI-labeled oxLDL uptake, phagocytosis of fluorescent Staphylococcus aureus bioparticles, and cell proliferation. When compared to βCD, the complex of αTP/βCD extracted cholesterol from cellular membranes with higher efficiency and was associated with the delivery of αTP to the cells. Interestingly, both, αTP and more so αTP/βCD inhibited lysosomal senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity and increased lysosomal pH, suggesting CD36-mediated uptake into the endo-lysosomal phagocytic compartment. Accordingly, the observed pH increase was more pronounced with αTP/βCD in macrophages whereas no significant increase occurred with αT, alpha-tocopheryl acetate (αTA) or βCD. In contrast to αT and αTA, the αTP molecule is di-anionic at neutral pH, but upon moving into the acidic endo-lysosomal compartment becomes protonated and thus is acting as a base. Moreover, it is expected to be retained in lysosomes since it still carries one negative charge, similar to lysosomotropic drugs. Thus, treatment with αTP or αTP/βCD and/or inhibition of conversion of αTP to αT as it occurs in aged cells may counteract CD36-mediated overlapping inflammatory, senescent, and atherosclerotic events.

Functionalized Nanostructured Bioactive Carriers: Nanoliposomes, Quantum Dots, Tocosome and Theranostic Approach

BACKGROUND

Lipidic nanocarriers have great potential for the encapsulation and delivery of numerous bioactive compounds. They have demonstrated significant benefits over traditional disease management and conventional therapy. The benefits associated with the particular properties of lipidic nanocarriers include site-specific drug deposition, improved pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, enhanced internalization and intracellular transport, biodegradability, and decreased biodistribution. These properties result in the alleviation of the harmful consequences of conventional treatment protocols. Scope and approach: The administration of various bioactive molecules has been extensively investigated using nanostructured lipid carriers. In this article, theranostic applications of novel formulations of lipidic nanocarriers combined or complexed with quantum dots, certain polymers such as chitosan, and metallic nanoparticles (particularly gold) are reviewed. These formulations have demonstrated better controlled release features, improved drug loading capability, as well as a lower burst release rate. As a recent innovation in the field of drug delivery, tocosomes and their unique advantages are also explained in the final section of this entry.

KEY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

Theranostic medicine requires nanocarriers with improved target-specific accumulation and bio-distribution. Towards this end, lipid-based nanocarrier systems and tocosomes combined with unique properties of quantum dots, biocompatible polymers, and metallic nanoparticles seem to be ideal candidates to be considered for safe and efficient drug delivery.

Reflections on a century of vitamin E research: Looking at the past with an eye on the future

The name vitamin E, was given by Barnett and Sure who suggested that the factor proposed by Evans and Bishop as substance "X," be termed vitamin "E" as the next vitamin after the A, B, C and D vitamins had been already described. The identification of vitamin E with a-tocopherol was made in 1936 by Evans' group. One year later β-tocopherol and 11 years later δ-tocopherol were isolated. Tocotrienol (named zetatocopherol) was first described in 1957 and later isolated in 1961. The antioxidant property of tocopherols was reported by Olcott and Emerson in 1937. Inherited vitamin E deficiency, AVED, characterized by a form of neuromyopathy was first described in 1981. The disease, was localized to chromosome 8q and found to be caused by a mutation of the a-TTP gene. The subsequent paragraphs are not a comprehensive review but only critical reflections on some important aspects of vitamin E research.

Maternal Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation and Rate of Maternal Weight Gain Affects Placental Expression of Energy Metabolism and Transport-Related Genes

Maternal nutrients are essential for proper fetal and placental development and function. However, the effects of vitamin and mineral supplementation under two rates of maternal weight gain on placental genome-wide gene expression have not been investigated so far. Furthermore, biological processes and pathways in the placenta that act in response to early maternal nutrition are yet to be elucidated. Herein, we examined the impact of maternal vitamin and mineral supplementation (from pre-breeding to day 83 post-breeding) and two rates of gain during the first 83 days of pregnancy on the gene expression of placental caruncles (CAR; maternal placenta) and cotyledons (COT; fetal placenta) of crossbred Angus beef heifers. We identified 267 unique differentially expressed genes (DEG). Among the DEGs from CAR, we identified ACAT2, SREBF2, and HMGCCS1 that underlie the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. Furthermore, the transcription factors PAX2 and PAX8 were over-represented in biological processes related to kidney organogenesis. The DEGs from COT included SLC2A1, SLC2A3, SLC27A4, and INSIG1. Our over-representation analysis retrieved biological processes related to nutrient transport and ion homeostasis, whereas the pathways included insulin secretion, PPAR signaling, and biosynthesis of amino acids. Vitamin and mineral supplementation and rate of gain were associated with changes in gene expression, biological processes, and KEGG pathways in beef cattle placental tissues.

Effect of Vitamin E on Serum Levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Angiopoietin-1 in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Pilot Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Background

Angiogenesis disturbances are common in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Vitamin E has antiangiogenic properties. Data on the effects of vitamin E on angiogenesis in PCOS is limited, so the current study was conducted to evaluate its effects on angiogenic indices in PCOS patients.

Materials and Methods

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed on 43 women aged 20-40 years, diagnosed with PCOS (Rotterdam criteria). It was performed at the referral clinic affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran, from April 2017 to September 2017. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups to receive either 400 IU/day vitamin E -as alpha tocopheryl acetate- (n=22) or placebo (n=21), for 8 weeks. Anthropometric, and angiogenic parameters including body weight, fat mass and fat free mass, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), angiopoietin-1 (Ang- 1), and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) were measured by standard methods at the beginning and at the end of study. Statistical Package for Social Science version 25 was used for statistical analysis and P<0.05 were considered significant.

Results

After adjusting for potential confounders, we observed that vitamin E supplementation significantly reduced body weight, fat mass, Ang-1, Ang-1/Ang-2 ratio and VEGF (P<0.01). We did not observe any considerable effect for vitamin E on Ang-2 level or bFGF.

Conclusion

Vitamin E supplementation for 8 weeks in the PCOS women had beneficial effects on body weight, Ang- 1, Ang-1/Ang-2 ratio, and VEGF level (Registration number: IRCT201610193140N18).

Development, Optimization, and Comparison of Different Sample Pre-Treatments for Simultaneous Determination of Vitamin E and Vitamin K in Vegetables

The absence of vitamin E from the diet can lead to cardiovascular disease, cancer, cataracts, and premature aging. Vitamin K deficiency can lead to bleeding disorders. These fat-soluble vitamins are important nutritional factors that can be determined in different methods in vegetables. In this work, the simultaneous determination of α-tocopherol, α-tocopheryl acetate, phylloquinone, and menaquinone-4 by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) has been optimized using both direct injection and solid phase microextraction (SPME). Three different sample pre-treatment approaches based on: (A) solid–liquid–liquid–liquid extraction (SLE–LLE), (B) SLE, and (C) SPME were then applied to extract the target analytes from vegetables samples using menaquinone as internal standard. All the procedures allowed the determination of the target analytes in onion, carrot, celery, and curly kale samples. Similar results were obtained with the three different approaches, even if the one based on SPME offers the best performance, together with a reduced use of solvent, time consumption, and experimental complexity, which makes it the preferable option for industrial applications.

Rip 1-dependent endothelial necroptosis participates in ischemia-reperfusion injury of mouse flap

BACKGROUND

Ischemia reperfusion injury plays an important role in free flap necrosis. However, the detailed mechanism is not clear, and effective methods for improving the survival rate of skin flap are still lacking.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the regulation and functional link between necroptosis and ischemia-reperfusion injury of mouse flap.

METHODS

We established a mouse ischemia-reperfusion injury flap model and a cell Oxygen Glucose Deprivation (OGD) model intervened with Necrostatin-1. The mouse flap tissues were harvested in vivo for histological immunofluorescence analysis and western blotting analyses. The HUVECs cells with various treatments in vitro were assessed by using Transwell assay, tube formation assay, cell counting kit-8 analysis and flow cytometry. A Rip3-knockout cell line and a TNFR1-knockout cell line were generated from HUVEC cells using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology and were subsequently used to explore the related mechanisms.

RESULTS

The expression of p-Rip3 is positive in both mouse and cell culture models. When necroptosis is completely or partially inhibited in vivo, damaged tissues are repaired with better efficiency. The cells treated with Necrostatin-1 in vitro exhibit faster migration, proliferation and better tube formation. Deficiency of TNFR1 can block the necroptosis pathway by blocking the phosphorylation of Rip3 in HUVEC OGD/ROG model. Meanwhile, the levels of APJ, HIF-1α, and VEGF are reduced when necroptosis is inhibited by Necrostatin-1.

CONCLUSION

TNFR1 mediates Rip1/Rip3 in ischemia-reperfusion injury. Inhibition of necroptosis attenuates the ischemia-reperfusion injury of flap and may enhance hypoxic tolerance of HUVECs and vascular homeostasis through regulation of the HIF-1α signaling pathways.

Vitamin E: Regulatory role in the cardiovascular system

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality, all around the world. Vitamin E is an important nutrient influencing key cellular and molecular mechanisms as well as gene expression regulation centrally involved in the prevention of CVD. Cell culture and animal studies have focused on the identification of vitamin E regulated signaling pathways and involvement on inflammation, lipid homeostasis, and atherosclerotic plaque stability. While some of these vitamin E functions were verified in clinical trials, some of the positive effects were not translated into beneficial outcomes in epidemiological studies. In recent years, the physiological metabolites of vitamin E, including the liver derived (long- and short-chain) metabolites and phosphorylated (α-, γ-tocopheryl phosphate) forms, have also provided novel mechanistic insight into CVD regulation that expands beyond the vitamin E precursor. It is certain that this emerging insight into the molecular and cellular action of vitamin E will help to design further studies, either in animal models or clinical trials, on the reduction of risk for CVDs. This review focuses on vitamin E-mediated preventive cardiovascular effects and discusses novel insights into the biology and mechanism of action of vitamin E metabolites in CVD. © 2019 IUBMB Life, 71(4):507-515, 2019.

Vitamin E: Regulatory Role on Signal Transduction

Vitamin E modulates signal transduction pathways by several molecular mechanisms. As a hydrophobic molecule located mainly in membranes it contributes together with other lipids to the physical and structural characteristics such as membrane stability, curvature, fluidity, and the organization into microdomains (lipid rafts). By acting as the main lipid-soluble antioxidant, it protects other lipids such as mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA and PUFA, respectively) against chemical reactions with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS, respectively) and prevents membrane destabilization and cellular dysfunction. In cells, vitamin E affects signaling in redox-dependent and redox-independent molecular mechanisms by influencing the activity of enzymes and receptors involved in modulating specific signal transduction and gene expression pathways. By protecting and preventing depletion of MUFA and PUFA it indirectly enables regulatory effects that are mediated by the numerous lipid mediators derived from these lipids. In recent years, some vitamin E metabolites have been observed to affect signal transduction and gene expression and their relevance for the regulatory function of vitamin E is beginning to be elucidated. In particular, the modulation of the CD36/FAT scavenger receptor/fatty acids transporter by vitamin E may influence many cellular signaling pathways relevant for lipid homeostasis, inflammation, survival/apoptosis, angiogenesis, tumorigenesis, neurodegeneration, and senescence. Thus, vitamin E has an important role in modulating signal transduction and gene expression pathways relevant for its uptake, distribution, metabolism, and molecular action that when impaired affect physiological and patho-physiological cellular functions relevant for the prevention of a number of diseases. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 71(4):456-478, 2019.

Water-Soluble Vitamin E-Tocopheryl Phosphate

The hydrophobicity of vitamin E poses transport and metabolic challenges to regulate its bioavailability and to prevent its accumulation in lipid-rich tissues such as adipose tissue, brain, and liver. Water-soluble precursors of vitamin E (α-tocopherol, αT), such as its esters with acetate (αTA), succinate (αTS), or phosphate (αTP), have increased solubility in water and stability against reaction with free radicals, but they are rapidly converted during their uptake into the lipid-soluble vitamin E. Therefore, the bioavailability of these precursors as intact molecules is low; nevertheless, at least for αTS and αTP, the recent research has revealed unique regulatory effects on signal transduction and gene expression and the modulation of cellular events ranging from proliferation, survival/apoptosis, lipid uptake and metabolism, phagocytosis, long term potentiation, cell migration, telomere maintenance, and angiogenesis. Moreover, water-soluble derivatives of vitamin E including some based on αTP are increasingly used as components of nanocarriers for enhanced and targeted delivery of drugs and other molecules (vitamins, including αT and αTP itself, vitamin D3, carnosine, caffeine, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), insulin) and cofactors such as coenzyme Q10. In this review, the chemical characteristics, transport, metabolic pathways, and molecular mechanisms of action of αTP in cells and tissues are summarized and put into perspective with its possible role in the prevention of a number of diseases.

Natural 6-hydroxy-chromanols and -chromenols: structural diversity, biosynthetic pathways and health implications

We present the first comprehensive and systematic review on the structurally diverse toco-chromanols and -chromenols found in photosynthetic organisms, including marine organisms, and as metabolic intermediates in animals. The focus of this work is on the structural diversity of chromanols and chromenols that result from various side chain modifications. We describe more than 230 structures that derive from a 6-hydroxy-chromanol- and 6-hydroxy-chromenol core, respectively, and comprise di-, sesqui-, mono- and hemiterpenes. We assort the compounds into a structure-activity relationship with special emphasis on anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic activities of the congeners. This review covers the literature published from 1970 to 2017.

α-Tocopheryl Phosphate Induces VEGF Expression via CD36/PI3Kγ in THP-1 Monocytes

The CD36 scavenger receptor binds several ligands and mediates ligand uptake and ligand-dependent signal transduction and gene expression, events that may involve CD36 internalization. Here we show that CD36 internalization in THP-1 monocytes is triggered by α-tocopherol (αT) and more strongly by α-tocopheryl phosphate (αTP) and EPC-K1, a phosphate diester of αTP and L-ascorbic acid. αTP-triggered CD36 internalization is prevented by the specific covalent inhibitor of selective lipid transport by CD36, sulfo-N-succinimidyl oleate (SSO). Moreover, SSO inhibited the CD36-mediated uptake of 14C-labelled αTP suggesting that αTP binding and internalization of CD36 is involved in cellular αTP uptake, whereas the uptake of αT was less affected. Similar to that, inhibition of selective lipid transport of the SR-BI scavenger receptor resulted mainly in reduction of αTP and not αT uptake. In contrast, uptake of αT was mainly inhibited by Dynasore, an inhibitor of clathrin-mediated endocytosis, suggesting that the differential regulatory effects of αTP and αT on signaling may be influenced by their different routes of uptake. Interestingly, αTP and EPC-K1 also reduced the neutral lipid content of THP-1 cells and the phagocytosis of fluorescent Staphylococcus aureus bioparticles. Moreover, induction of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promoter activity by αTP occurred via CD36/PI3Kγ/Akt, as it could be inhibited by specific inhibitors of this pathway (SSO, Wortmannin, AS-605240). These results suggest that αTP activates PI3Kγ/Akt signaling leading to VEGF expression in monocytes after binding to and/or transport by CD36, a receptor known to modulate angiogenesis in response to amyloid beta, oxLDL, and thrombospondin. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 1855-1867, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The rise, the fall and the renaissance of vitamin E

This review deals with the expectations of vitamin E ability of preventing or curing, as a potent antioxidant, alleged oxidative stress based ailments including cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, cataracts, macular degeneration and more. The results obtained with clinical intervention studies have highly restricted the range of effectiveness of this vitamin. At the same time, new non-antioxidant mechanisms have been proposed. The new functions of vitamin E have been shown to affect cell signal transduction and gene expression, both in vitro and in vivo. Phosphorylation of vitamin E, which takes place in vivo, results in a molecule provided with functions that are in part stronger and in part different from those of the non-phosphorylate compound. The in vivo documented functions of vitamin E preventing the vitamin E deficiency ataxia (AVED), slowing down the progression of non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH), decreasing inflammation and potentiating the immune response are apparently based on these new molecular mechanisms. It should be stressed however that vitamin E, when present at higher concentrations in the body, should exert antioxidant properties to the extent that its chromanol ring is unprotected or un-esterified.

Micronutrient deficiencies in pregnancy worldwide: health effects and prevention

Micronutrients, vitamins and minerals accessible from the diet, are essential for biologic activity. Micronutrient status varies widely throughout pregnancy and across populations. Women in low-income countries often enter pregnancy malnourished, and the demands of gestation can exacerbate micronutrient deficiencies with health consequences for the fetus. Examples of efficacious single micronutrient interventions include folic acid to prevent neural tube defects, iodine to prevent cretinism, zinc to reduce risk of preterm birth, and iron to reduce the risk of low birth weight. Folic acid and vitamin D might also increase birth weight. While extensive mechanistic and association research links multiple antenatal micronutrients with plausible materno-fetal health advantages, hypothesized benefits have often been absent, minimal or unexpected in trials. These findings suggest a role for population context in determining health responses and filling extensive gaps in knowledge. Multiple micronutrient supplements reduce the risks of being born with low birth weight, small for gestational age or stillborn in undernourished settings, and justify micronutrient interventions with antenatal care. Measurable health effects of gestational micronutrient exposure might persist into childhood but few data exists on potential long-term benefits. In this Review, we discuss micronutrient intake recommendations, risks and consequences of deficiencies, and the effects of interventions with a particular emphasis on offspring.

α-Tocopheryl Phosphate as a Bioactive Derivative of Vitamin E: A Review of the Literature

α-Tocopheryl phosphate (α-TP) is a naturally occurring derivative of α-tocopherol (α-T), one of the eight isoforms of vitamin E. α-TP is present at very low intracellular concentrations, traffics across plasma membranes, and affects many important cellular functions. In addition to being a signaling molecule, α-TP has also been shown to possess antioxidant and potentially antiatherosclerotic properties that are more potent than its parent compound (α-T). However, there is little published data on the clinical effects of α-TP supplements, the mechanisms involved in its metabolism and cellular function, and reliable methods for its determination in plasma.

Modulation of phosphorylation of tocopherol and phosphatidylinositol by hTAP1/SEC14L2-mediated lipid exchange

The vitamin E derivative, alpha-tocopheryl phosphate (αTP), is detectable in cultured cells, plasma and tissues in small amounts, suggesting the existence of enzyme(s) with α-tocopherol (αT) kinase activity. Here, we characterize the production of αTP from αT and [γ-32P]-ATP in primary human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (HCA-SMC) using separation by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and subsequent analysis by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC). In addition to αT, although to a lower amount, also γT is phosphorylated. In THP-1 monocytes, γTP inhibits cell proliferation and reduces CD36 scavenger receptor expression more potently than αTP. Both αTP and γTP activate the promoter of the human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene with similar potency, whereas αT and γT had no significant effect. The recombinant human tocopherol associated protein 1 (hTAP1, hSEC14L2) binds both αT and αTP and stimulates phosphorylation of αT possibly by facilitating its transport and presentation to a putative αT kinase. Recombinant hTAP1 reduces the in vitro activity of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase gamma (PI3Kγ) indicating the formation of a stalled/inactive hTAP1/PI3Kγ heterodimer. The addition of αT, βT, γT, δT or αTP differentially stimulates PI3Kγ, suggesting facilitated egress of sequestered PI from hTAP1 to the enzyme. It is suggested that the continuous competitive exchange of different lipophilic ligands in hTAPs with cell enzymes and membranes may be a way to make these lipophiles more accessible as substrates for enzymes and as components of specific membrane domains.

Selenium and topiramate attenuates blood oxidative toxicity in patients with epilepsy: a clinical pilot study

It is well known that oxidative stress plays an important role in the etiology of epilepsy. We investigated effects of selenium (Se) and topiramate (TPM) combination supplementation on antioxidant and oxidant values in control and patients with epilepsy and refractory epilepsy. For the aim, we used control (n = 19), epilepsy + TPM (n = 19), epilepsy + TPM + Se (n = 15) groups. We also used control (n = 15), refractory epilepsy (n = 15), and refractory epilepsy + Se (n = 8) groups. TPM (0.2 mg/daily) and Se, as sodium selenite (twice daily with 0.1 mg doses), were orally supplemented to the patients for 45 days. Erythrocyte lipid peroxidation levels were higher in refractory epilepsy groups than in control although its level and seizure numbers were decreased in TPM and TPM + Se supplemented groups of the patients. The erythrocyte reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), plasma total antioxidant status (TAS), and vitamin E concentration in refractory epilepsy group were lower than in control. However, the erythrocyte and plasma TAS, erythrocyte GSH and GSH-Px, and plasma vitamins A and C values were increased either by Se or Se + TPM in epilepsy and refractory epilepsy groups. There were no effects of TPM and Se on plasma β-carotene values in the groups. In conclusion, TPM and selenium caused protective effects on the epilepsy and refractory epilepsy-induced oxidative injury by inhibiting free radical production and supporting antioxidant redox system.

Polyphenol compounds in the chicken/animal diet: from the past to the future

Animal feed provides a range of antioxidants that help the body building an integrated antioxidant system responsible for a prevention of damaging effects of free radicals and products of their metabolism. Vitamin E is considered to be the main chain-breaking antioxidant located in the membranes and effectively protecting them against lipid peroxidation. Recently, various polyphenol compounds, especially flavonoids, have received substantial attention because of their antioxidant activities in various in vitro systems. However, it was shown that flavonoid compounds are poorly absorbed in the gut and their concentrations in target tissues are too low to perform an effective antioxidant defences. The aim of the present paper is to review existing evidence about possible roles of various plant extracts provided with the diet in animal/poultry nutrition with a specific emphasis to their antioxidant activities.

α-Tocopheryl-phosphate regulation of gene expression in preadipocytes and adipocytes

A correct function of adipocytes in connection with cellular fatty acid loading and release is a vital aspect of energy homeostasis; dysregulation of these reactions can result in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition, adipocytes have been proposed to play a major role in preventing lipotoxicity by removing excess fatty acids from the circulation and converting them into triglycerides and thus decreasing the exposure of other cells to their potentially harmful effects. We report here that the addition of α-tocopheryl phosphate (but not α-tocopherol) to NIH3T3-L1 preadipocytes transcriptionally activates a set of genes TRB3 (Tribbles Homolog 3), Sestrin-2 (SESN2), and Insulin-Induced Gene 1 (INSIG1)] potentially preventing fat accumulation in these cells. In contrast, in differentiated adipocytes, α-tocopheryl phosphate is responsible for the transcriptional inhibition of the same genes, possibly facilitating fat uptake and storage. In conclusion, it appears that in proliferating preadipocytes α-tocopheryl phosphate foils fat accumulation, whereas in adipocytes it enhances it. These processes may be relevant in the regulation of excess fat accumulation and in prevention of lipotoxicity.