Abstract
Tocopherols, which exist in alpha, beta, gamma, and delta forms, are antioxidative nutrients also known as vitamin E. Although alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T) is the major form of vitamin E found in the blood and tissues, gamma- and delta-T have been suggested to have stronger anti-inflammatory activities. In the present study, using a tocopherol mixture that is rich in gamma-T (gamma-TmT, which contains 57%gamma-T), we demonstrated the inhibition of inflammation as well as of cancer formation and growth in the lung and colon in animal models. When given in the diet at 0.3%, gamma-TmT inhibited chemically induced lung tumorigenesis in the A/J mice as well as the growth of human lung cancer cell H1299 xenograft tumors. gamma-TmT also decreased the levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, gamma-H2AX, and nitrotyrosine in tumors. More evident anti-inflammatory and cancer preventive activities of dietary gamma-TmT were demonstrated in mice treated with azoxymethane and dextran sulfate sodium. These results demonstrate the antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic activities of tocopherols.