ScienceDaily
Your source for the latest research news
Follow Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Subscribe RSS Feeds Newsletters
New:
  • 'Speech Neuroprosthesis' Developed
  • Kind Acts: Rats Prefer to Help Their Own
  • Many Mammals Share Similar Neural 'GPS System'
  • What Automatically Links Objects in Our Minds
  • Big Step in Race to Quantum Computing
  • Our Genes Shape Our Gut Bacteria: Study
  • Why There's So Little Antimatter in the Universe
  • Possible Life On Moon of Saturn? Methane in ...
  • How Flies, and Maybe People, Choose Their Food
  • Global Plastic Pollution Nearing Tipping Point?
advertisement
Follow all of ScienceDaily's latest research news and top science headlines!
Science News
from research organizations

1

2

How vitamin E can help prevent cancer

Date:
March 14, 2013
Source:
Ohio State University
Summary:
Researchers have identified an elusive anti-cancer property of vitamin E that has long been presumed to exist, but difficult to find.
Share:
FULL STORY

Researchers have identified an elusive anti-cancer property of vitamin E that has long been presumed to exist, but difficult to find.

advertisement

Many animal studies have suggested that vitamin E could prevent cancer, but human clinical trials following up on those findings have not shown the same benefits.

In this new work, researchers showed in prostate cancer cells that one form of vitamin E inhibits the activation of an enzyme that is essential for cancer cell survival. The loss of the enzyme, called Akt, led to tumor cell death. The vitamin had no negative effect on normal cells.

"This is the first demonstration of a unique mechanism of how vitamin E can have some benefit in terms of cancer prevention and treatment," said lead author Ching-Shih Chen, professor of medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy at The Ohio State University and an investigator in Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The study appears in the March 19, 2013, issue of the journal Science Signaling.

Chen cautioned that taking a typical vitamin E supplement won't offer this benefit for at least two reasons: The most affordable supplements are synthetic and based predominantly on a form of the vitamin that did not fight cancer as effectively in this study, and the human body can't absorb the high doses that appear to be required to achieve the anti-cancer effect.

advertisement

"Our goal is to develop a safe pill at the right dose that people could take every day for cancer prevention. It takes time to optimize the formulation and the dose," he said.

Chen has filed an invention disclosure with the university, and Ohio State has filed a patent application for the agent.

Vitamin E occurs in numerous forms based on their chemical structure, and the most commonly known form belongs to a variety called tocopherols. In this study, researchers showed that, of the tocopherols tested, the gamma form of tocopherol was the most potent anti-cancer form of the vitamin.

The scientists manipulated the structure of that vitamin E molecule and found that the effectiveness of this new agent they created was 20-fold higher than the vitamin itself in cells. In experiments in mice, this agent reduced the size of prostate cancer tumors.

These findings suggest that an agent based on the chemical structure of one form of vitamin E could help prevent and treat numerous types of cancer -- particularly those associated with a mutation in the PTEN gene, a fairly common cancer-related genetic defect that keeps Akt active.

advertisement

The researchers began the work with both alpha and gamma forms of the vitamin E molecule. Both inhibited the enzyme called Akt in very targeted ways, but the gamma structure emerged as the more powerful form of the vitamin.

In effect, the vitamin halted Akt activation by attracting Akt and another protein, called PHLPP1, to the same region of a cell where the vitamin was absorbed: the fat-rich cell membrane. PHLPP1, a tumor suppressor, then launched a chemical reaction that inactivated Akt, rendering it unable to keep cancer cells alive.

"This is a new finding. We have been taking vitamin E for years but nobody really knew about this particular anti-cancer mechanism," Chen said.

The gamma form was most effective because its chemical shape allowed it to attach to Akt in the most precise way to shut off the enzyme.

Because of how the various molecules interacted on the cell membrane, the scientists predicted that shortening a string of chemical groups dangling from the main body, or head group, of the gamma-tocopherol molecule would make those relationships even stronger. They lopped off about 60 percent of this side chain and tested the effects of the new agent in the prostate cancer cells.

"By reducing two-thirds of the chain, the molecule had a 20 times more potent anti-tumor effect, while retaining the integrity of vitamin E's head group," Chen said. This manipulation enhanced the anti-tumor potency of the molecule by changing its interaction with the cell membrane, so that the head group was more accessible to Akt and PHLPP1.

When mice with tumors created by these two prostate cancer cell lines were injected with the agent, the treatment suppressed tumor growth when compared to a placebo, which had no effect on tumor size. Chemical analysis of the treated tumors showed that the Akt enzyme signal was suppressed, confirming the effects were the same in animals as they had been in cell cultures.

The animal study also suggested the experimental agent was not toxic. Chen's lab is continuing to work on improvements to the molecule.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Co-authors include Po-Hsien Huang, Hsiao-Ching Chuang, Chih-Chien Chou, Huiling Wang, Su-Lin Lee, Hsiao-Ching Yang, Hao-Chieh Chiu, Naval Kapuriya, Dasheng Wang and Samuel Kulp of the Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy at Ohio State. Huang and Chen also are affiliated with National Cheng-Kung University, Yang with Fu-Jen Catholic University, and Chiu with National Taiwan University, all in Taiwan; and Kapuriya with Saurashtra University in Gujarat, India.

make a difference: sponsored opportunity

Story Source:

Materials provided by Ohio State University. Original written by Emily Caldwell. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
Ohio State University. "How vitamin E can help prevent cancer." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 March 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130314175659.htm>.
Ohio State University. (2013, March 14). How vitamin E can help prevent cancer. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 15, 2021 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130314175659.htm
Ohio State University. "How vitamin E can help prevent cancer." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130314175659.htm (accessed July 15, 2021).

  • RELATED TOPICS
    • Health & Medicine
      • Cancer
      • Prostate Cancer
      • Brain Tumor
      • Vitamin
      • Lung Cancer
      • Leukemia
      • Breast Cancer
      • Vitamin D
advertisement

  • RELATED TERMS
    • B vitamins
    • Shiitake mushroom
    • Vitamin A
    • Vitamin E
    • Stem cell treatments
    • Cervical cancer
    • Search and rescue
    • Colorectal cancer

1

2

3

4

5
RELATED STORIES

Immunotherapy Extends Survival in Mouse Model of Hard-to-Treat Breast Cancer
Aug. 17, 2020 — Immunotherapies for cancer -- treatments that prime the immune system to attack tumors -- are valuable weapons in the anti-cancer arsenal. But some cancers are more difficult to target with this ...
A Good Vitamin D Status Can Protect Against Cancer
June 10, 2020 — A good vitamin D status is beneficial both in cancer prevention and in the prognosis of several cancers, according to a new research review. The anti-cancer effects of vitamin D are especially ...
Chemical Array Draws out Malignant Cells to Guide Individualized Cancer Treatment
May 26, 2017 — Melanoma is a particularly difficult cancer to treat once it has metastasized, spreading throughout the body. Researchers are using chemistry to find the deadly, elusive malignant cells within a ...
Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcomas Respond to a Combination of a New and an Existing Anti-Cancer Drug
Dec. 1, 2016 — Researchers working to find effective treatments for soft tissue sarcomas have discovered that combining a new anti-cancer drug with an existing one kills cancer cells not only in the laboratory but ...
FROM AROUND THE WEB

ScienceDaily shares links with sites in the TrendMD network and earns revenue from third-party advertisers, where indicated.
  Print   Email   Share

advertisement

1

2

3

4

5
Most Popular
this week

HEALTH & MEDICINE
Epsilon Variant Mutations Contribute to COVID Immune Evasion
5-Minute Breathing Workout Lowers Blood Pressure as Much as Exercise, Drugs
Fibromyalgia Likely the Result of Autoimmune Problems
MIND & BRAIN
(c) (c) rosinka79 / AdobeStress Can Turn Hair Gray -- And It's Reversible, Researchers Find
(c) (c) Sebastian / AdobeMore Filling? Tastes Great? How Flies, and Maybe People, Choose Their Food
(c) (c) peshkov / AdobeTeam Find Brain Mechanism That Automatically Links Objects in Our Minds
LIVING & WELL
Boy or Girl? It's in the Father's Genes
(c) (c) motortion / AdobeScientists Discover a New Class of Memory Cells for Remembering Faces
Tooth Loss Associated With Increased Cognitive Impairment, Dementia
advertisement

Strange & Offbeat
 

HEALTH & MEDICINE
Simulating Microswimmers in Nematic Fluids
Technology That Restores the Sense of Touch in Nerves Damaged as a Result of Injury
Researchers Overcome Winking, Napping Pigs to Prove Brain Test Works
MIND & BRAIN
'Hydrogel-Based Flexible Brain-Machine Interface'
(c) (c) chamnan phanthong / AdobeA Peek Inside a Flying Bat's Brain Uncovers Clues to Mammalian Navigation
Researchers Record Brainwaves to Measure 'Cybersickness'
LIVING & WELL
Dogs May Not Return Their Owners' Good Deeds
Business Use of Avatars
There's a 'Man in the Moon': Why Our Brains See Human Faces Everywhere
SD
  • SD
    • Home Page
    • Top Science News
    • Latest News
  • Home
    • Home Page
    • Top Science News
    • Latest News
  • Health
    • View all the latest top news in the health sciences,
      or browse the topics below:
      Health & Medicine
      • Allergy
      • Alternative Medicine
      • Birth Control
      • Cancer
      • Diabetes
      • Diseases
      • Heart Disease
      • HIV and AIDS
      • Obesity
      • Stem Cells
      • ... more topics
      Mind & Brain
      • ADD and ADHD
      • Addiction
      • Alzheimer's
      • Autism
      • Depression
      • Headaches
      • Intelligence
      • Psychology
      • Relationships
      • Schizophrenia
      • ... more topics
      Living Well
      • Parenting
      • Pregnancy
      • Sexual Health
      • Skin Care
      • Men's Health
      • Women's Health
      • Nutrition
      • Diet and Weight Loss
      • Fitness
      • Healthy Aging
      • ... more topics
  • Tech
    • View all the latest top news in the physical sciences & technology,
      or browse the topics below:
      Matter & Energy
      • Aviation
      • Chemistry
      • Electronics
      • Fossil Fuels
      • Nanotechnology
      • Physics
      • Quantum Physics
      • Solar Energy
      • Technology
      • Wind Energy
      • ... more topics
      Space & Time
      • Astronomy
      • Black Holes
      • Dark Matter
      • Extrasolar Planets
      • Mars
      • Moon
      • Solar System
      • Space Telescopes
      • Stars
      • Sun
      • ... more topics
      Computers & Math
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Communications
      • Computer Science
      • Hacking
      • Mathematics
      • Quantum Computers
      • Robotics
      • Software
      • Video Games
      • Virtual Reality
      • ... more topics
  • Enviro
    • View all the latest top news in the environmental sciences,
      or browse the topics below:
      Plants & Animals
      • Agriculture and Food
      • Animals
      • Biology
      • Biotechnology
      • Endangered Animals
      • Extinction
      • Genetically Modified
      • Microbes and More
      • New Species
      • Zoology
      • ... more topics
      Earth & Climate
      • Climate
      • Earthquakes
      • Environment
      • Geography
      • Geology
      • Global Warming
      • Hurricanes
      • Ozone Holes
      • Pollution
      • Weather
      • ... more topics
      Fossils & Ruins
      • Ancient Civilizations
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • Dinosaurs
      • Early Humans
      • Early Mammals
      • Evolution
      • Lost Treasures
      • Origin of Life
      • Paleontology
      • ... more topics
  • Society
    • View all the latest top news in the social sciences & education,
      or browse the topics below:
      Science & Society
      • Arts & Culture
      • Consumerism
      • Economics
      • Political Science
      • Privacy Issues
      • Public Health
      • Racial Disparity
      • Religion
      • Sports
      • World Development
      • ... more topics
      Business & Industry
      • Biotechnology & Bioengineering
      • Computers & Internet
      • Energy & Resources
      • Engineering
      • Medical Technology
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Transportation
      • ... more topics
      Education & Learning
      • Animal Learning & Intelligence
      • Creativity
      • Educational Psychology
      • Educational Technology
      • Infant & Preschool Learning
      • Learning Disorders
      • STEM Education
      • ... more topics
  • Quirky
    • Top News
    • Human Quirks
    • Odd Creatures
    • Bizarre Things
    • Weird World
Free Subscriptions

Get the latest science news with ScienceDaily's free email newsletters, updated daily and weekly. Or view hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader:

  • Email Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
Follow Us

Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Have Feedback?

Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions?

  • Leave Feedback
  • Contact Us
About This Site  |  Staff  |  Reviews  |  Contribute  |  Advertise  |  Privacy Policy  |  Editorial Policy  |  Terms of Use
Copyright 2021 ScienceDaily or by other parties, where indicated. All rights controlled by their respective owners.
Content on this website is for information only. It is not intended to provide medical or other professional advice.
Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily, its staff, its contributors, or its partners.
Financial support for ScienceDaily comes from advertisements and referral programs, where indicated.
— CCPA: Do Not Sell My Information — — GDPR: Privacy Settings —