Redox status of K562 cells after α-tocopherol treatment

Abstract

Tocopherols, early described as a vitamin that brings birth, have been identified as redox compounds capable of radical scavenging in a lipid phase. The recent finding that alpha-tocopherol phosphate is present in cells in small amounts assigned alpha-tocopherol to the group of signaling molecules, rather than to that of antioxidants. When antioxidant levels are augmented by either genetic or pharmacologic means the impact on tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo has been to inhibit tumor growth and/or differentiation. We examined effect of alpha-tocopherol addition on free thiol content and SOD activity in K562 cells.