Positive Health Online

Abstract

NI and colleagues, Department of Urology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA, have found that vitamin E succinate inhibits human prostate cancer cell growth by modulating cell cycle regulating machinery.

Background

Several studies have shown that vitamin E is a chemopreventive agent for prostate cancer. alpha-Tocopheryl succinate, a close derivative of vitamin E, modulates cancer cell growth, but little is known about how this happens.

Methodology

Results

It is shown that vitamin E succinate causes human prostate cancer cell LNCaP to arrest during its G1 phase. This is accomplished through significantly decreased production of the cell cycle regulatory proteins cyclin D1, D3, and E, as well as cdk2 and 4 but not 6. Furthermore, vitamin E succinate reduces cdk4 kinase activity, Rb phosphorylation, and cyclin E messenger RNA production. It is also shown that selenium acts by a different mechanism to prevent prostate cancer.

Conclusion

s: These results suggest that the vitamin E-mediated preventive effect against prostate cancer is a consequence of multiple alterations in the cell cycle regulatory machinery.

References

Ni J, Chen M, Zhang Y, Li R, Huang J, Yeh, S. Vitamin E succinate inhibits human prostate cancer cell growth via modulating cell cycle regulatory machinery. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 300 (2): 357-363, Jan 10, 2003.