vitamin e

[springfever]

I stumbled onto this while searching for place to buy supps, including vitamin e (d-alpha tocopherol).
I don't understand most of it, but seems like they say vit e interrupted or inhibited liver cell regeneration in their study.  Am I reading that right?  Should we be taking vit e??


Lab Invest 2003, 83:1669–1679

Inhibitory Effect of Vitamin E Administration on the Progression of Liver Regeneration Induced by Partial Hepatectomy in Rats
Cristina Trejo-Solís1, Victoria Chagoya de Sánchez1, Alberto Aranda-Fraustro1, Lourdes Sánchez-Sevilla1, Celedonio Gómez-Ruíz1 and Rolando Hernández-Muñoz1

1Departamento de Biología Celular, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico

Correspondence: Dr. Rolando Hernández-Muñoz, Departamento de Biología Celular, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apdo. Postal 70–243, México 04510, D. F., México. E-mail: ***@****

Received 25 August 2003.

Top of pageAbstract
We have proposed that controlled peroxidative modifications of membranes could be playing a role in the early steps of liver regeneration. Hence, lipid peroxidation (LP) was modified in vivo by treatment with vitamin E in rats subjected to partial hepatectomy (PH), and its influence on liver regeneration was evaluated. Our results, using several methods to monitor LP, indicate that vitamin E administration promoted a decreased LP rate in liver subcellular membranes. Vitamin E drastically diminished cytosolic LP, shifting earlier increased LP in plasma membranes, and promoted a higher increase of nuclear LP in animals subjected to PH. Pretreatment with vitamin E induced a striking reduction of liver mass recovery and nuclear bromodeoxyuridine labeling (clearly shown at 24 hours after surgery), as well as promoted a decreased expression of cyclin D1 and of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen after PH. These effects seem to lead to a decreased mitotic index at 48 hours after PH. Vitamin E pretreatment also diminished PH-induced hypoglycemia but elevated serum bilirubin level, which was not observed in PH animals without vitamin treatment. In conclusion, an enhanced but controlled LP seems to play a critical role during the early phases of liver regeneration. Decreasing magnitude or time course of the PH-promoted enhanced LP (at early post-PH stages) by in vivo treatment with vitamin E could promote an early termination of preparative cell events, which lead to the replicative phase, during PH-promoted liver proliferation. The latter could have a significant implication in the antitumorigenic effect ascribed to the treatment with vitamin E.

http://www.nature.com/labinvest/journal/v83/n11/abs/3780756a.html

[m_strings]

Lalapple has a point re: fat soluble vitamins, which are stored longer in the liver and fatty tissues.  I'm always a fan of getting Vitamin E through natural foods, such as fruits and green, leafy vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds.  Again, I'd consult with your doctors.  The studies are interesting and look promising!  They are not comprehensive however, and do not consider longer-term outcomes.      

Evangeline: Thanks for your comments.  I wish the best to your husband.  His viral load is getting down there.  It sounds like he's really fighting.  I sure hope they can wipe it out!  I'm glad you found the articles useful!  I'm praying for you!!

[lalapple]

i don't know, i would be careful with fat soluble vitamins, they're not that easily excreted out of the body like water soluble ones  guess it's ok as long as you don't exceed the RDA

[evangelin]

Thank you very much for printing those articles.  My husband (with cirrhosis) is on his 3rd tx try with peg/Alinia and has been on it since the 1st of June and is still not nondetectible.  His last viral load was 495 and has been in this neighborhood for several months.  Because he is at the desperate stage, they have allowed him to switch to daily infergen and I am reviewing the supplements I give him .  These articles were very helpful in making my mind up about including vit E.  

[m_strings]

Well, I'm not an MD, but would advise you to take it only as directed and make sure to consult w/your medical team.  Here's to you and your rat's good health!  ;>)

[springfever]

Thanks m-strings.  The studies you posted are more timely and relevant to pre-tx and tx.
I'm taking the vitamin e.

Marc/portann...If my rat's liver ever needs partial removal, I won't give him any e.  Thanks for interpreting.
I'm learning a new language, reluctantly.

[m_strings]

And here's another one, in case we haven't posted this recently, that discusses the utility of Vitamin E to prevent inflammation in patients undergoing Tx for Hep C.  The sample size is really small, however (30), and more research is needed.  

Vitamin E and C supplementation prevents decrease of eicosapentaenoic acid in mononuclear cells in chronic hepatitis C patients during combination therapy of interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin.

Murakami Y, Nagai A, Kawakami T, Hino K, Kitase A, Hara Y, Okuda M, Okita K, Okita M.

Department of Nutritional Science, Faculty of Health and Welfare Science, Okayama Prefectual University, Okayama, Japan.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of vitamin E and C supplementation on the fatty acid composition of mononuclear cells and on the clinical observations in patients who had chronic hepatitis C and received interferon-alpha-2b (IFN-alpha-2b) and ribavirin combination therapy.

METHODS: Patients were randomly allocated to receive daily 500 mg of vitamin E and 750 mg of vitamin C (vitamin group, n = 14) or no supplement (non-vitamin group, n = 16) in addition to IFN-alpha-2b and ribavirin therapy. The fatty acid composition of mononuclear cell phospholipids was analyzed before and at 2, 4, and 8 wk after treatment.

RESULTS: After vitamin supplementation, plasma and red blood cell alpha-tocopherol and plasma ascorbic acid levels increased in the vitamin group. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase decreased significantly after 2 wk of treatment in both groups. At the start of treatment, a lower level of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and a higher level of the molar ratio of arachidonic acid to EPA in mononuclear cells were observed in the present patients compared with healthy volunteers, and a significant correlation between the molar ratio and serum alanine aminotransferase level was found. The EPA level of mononuclear cells was maintained in the vitamin group during treatment, whereas a significant decrease was observed in the non-vitamin group at 4 and 8 wk after treatment.

CONCLUSIONS: Antioxidant vitamin supplementation during IFN-alpha-2b and ribavirin therapy prevented a decrease in EPA of mononuclear cell phospholipids. If a further decrease in the ratio of arachidonic acid to EPA can be achieved by using oral EPA supplementation, the efficacy of IFN-alpha-2b and ribavirin therapy may be improved.

Murakami Y, Nagai A, Kawakami T, et al. (2006) Vitamin E and C supplementation prevents decrease of eicosapentaenoic acid in mononuclear cells in chronic hepatitis C patients during combination therapy of interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin. Nutrition, 22(2):114-22. Retrieved March 1, 2009 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16459223.

[m_strings]

You might find this interesting:

Treatment with silybin-vitamin E-phospholipid complex in patients with hepatitis C infection.

Falasca K, Ucciferri C, Mancino P, Vitacolonna E, De Tullio D, Pizzigallo E, Conti P, Vecchiet J.

Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine and Science of Aging, G. d'Annunzio University, Chieti-Pescara, Italy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of silybin-phospholipids and vitamin E complex (SPV complex), by determining cytokine patterns and various markers of liver disease. Forty Caucasian patients with chronic HCV infection were recruited and divided into two groups: 30 were treated with SPV complex for 3 months, while the other 10 did not receive any treatment. Ten other subjects without HCV infection but with staeatosic diagnosis were recruited and treated with SPV complex. Biochemical and hepatic principal parameters were investigated at 0 (T0) and 3 months (T3). The group of HCV patients treated showed an improvement trend of hepatic indecises and viral load, and had a significant and persistent reduction of ALT (P = 0.02) and AST serum level (P = 0.01). In this group cytokines showed a statistically significant increase of IL-2 (P = 0.03) and IL-6 were significantly reduced (P = 0.02) at T0 and T3. After the treatment the group of hepatic steatosics showed a significant decrease in ALT (P = 0.02), AST (0.008), gammaGT (0.004) alkaline phosphatase (0.05), total cholesterol (P = 0.03), fasting glucose (P = 0.008), insulinemia (0.0006), HOMA value (0.002) and C-reactive protein (CRP; 0.04). There was a significant reduction of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 (P = 0.02, 0.05 and 0.04, respectively). The data suggest that the SPV complex exerts hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects. This new compound may therefore be useful in clinical practice in patients with chronic hepatitis C who cannot undergo conventional antiviral therapy. 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Falaska, K. et. al. (2008, Nov.). Treatment with silybin-vitamin E-phospholipid complex in patients with hepatitis C infection. Journal of Medical Virology, 80(11):1900-6. Retrieved March 1, 2009 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18814247.

[portann]

I agree with you that the article is hard to follow. It appears it is advising AGAINST the use of Vitamin E before, during and immediately after PH surgery because of a complex process in which anti-oxidant properties interfere adversely.

[Marc1955]

No. You wouldn't supplement your diet with vitamin E based on a single animal study. Nobody takes drugs based on animal studies. There need to be controlled studies in human with the particular illness before you can have any idea what you're doing.