Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a serious condition that may develop in patients undergoing diagnostic radiologic procedures. Several treatments have been assessed to prevent CIN development. This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of vitamin E in the prevention of CIN compared to intravenous (IV) saline hydration. The literature search included MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Web of Science, ProQuest, and Scopus for articles published until May 11, 2024, without language or time limits. The outcomes included the incidence of CIN, new-onset dialysis, and death (primary), as well as the change in serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (secondary). Numerical and dichotomous outcomes were presented as standardized mean difference (SMD) and risk ratio (RR), respectively, with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Six clinical trials were included. Vitamin E was administered orally in varying doses, but one study used IV infusion. Vitamin E decreased the risk of developing CIN by 59% (n=5; pooled RR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.65; P<0.001) compared to IV hydration. None of the patients required renal replacement therapy. One patient on vitamin E died due to the occurrence of acute coronary syndrome. Vitamin E is a promising effective prophylaxis against CIN. However, the number of included studies and their sample sizes are small. The studies showed several limitations. There is a need for further high-quality clinical trials to ascertain the effectiveness of vitamin E compared to IV hydration and to compare vitamin E to other therapies, such as N-acetyl cysteine.

In plants, secondary metabolites change in response to environmental conditions. These changes co-regulate resilience to stressful environmental conditions, plant growth and development, and interactions between plants and the wider ecosystem, while also affecting soil carbon storage and atmospheric and climatic conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the association between UV exposure and the contents of key metabolites, including amino acids, phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, carotenoids, tocopherols, and phytosterols. Mentha spicata plantlets were grown in tissue culture boxes for 30 days and then exposed to a low dose of broadband UV-B (291-315 nm; 2.8 kJm-2 biologically effective UV) enriched light for eight days. Metabolite contents were quantified either immediately after the final UV exposure, or after seven days of recovery under photosynthetically active radiation. It was found that UV promoted the production of flavonoids (1.8-fold) ahead of phenolic acids (unchanged). Furthermore, the majority of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, constituents of valuable mint essential oil, were significantly increased through UV treatment (up to 90-fold for α-linalool). In contrast, the contents of carotenoids and tocopherols did not increase following UV exposure. A comparison between plants sampled immediately after UV exposure and after seven days of recovery showed that there was an overall increase in the content of carotenoids, mono- and sesquiterpenes, phenolics, and amino acids following recovery, while the contents of sterols and tocopherols decreased. These UV-induced changes in metabolite profile may have important consequences for agriculture, ecology, and even the global climate, and they also provide an exciting opportunity to enhance crop value, facilitating the development of improved products with higher levels of essential oils and added benefits of enhanced flavour, colour, and bioactive content.

UNASSIGNED: The African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is the predominant oil crop in the world. In addition to triacylglycerols, crude palm oil (CPO) extracted from the mesocarp of the fruits, contains high amounts of provitamin A (carotenes) and vitamin E (tocochromanols). Because of their unsaturated nature, the carotenes are prone to oxidation and therefore are in part limiting for the shelf life of CPO.
UNASSIGNED: A tree with unusual toochromanol composition was identified by HPLC screening of the mesocarp of wild trees. Polymorphisms in a candidate gene were identified by DNA sequencing. The candidate protein was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli coli and Arabidopsis thaliana to test for enzyme activity. Oxidative stability of the CPO was studied by following carotene degradation over time.
UNASSIGNED: In the present study, a wild Oil Palm tree (C59) from Cameroon was identified that lacks α-tocopherol and α-tocotrienol and instead accumulates the respective γ forms, suggesting that the activity of γ-tocopherol methyltransferase (VTE4) was affected. Sequencing of the VTE4 locus in the genome of plant C59 identified a G/C polymorphism that causes the exchange of a highly conserved tryptophan at position 290 with serine. The W290S exchange renders the VTE4 enzyme inactive, as shown after expression in Escherichia coli and Arabidopsis thaliana. The oxidative stability of carotenes in the mesocarp of the wild palm C59 was enhanced compared with control accessions. Furthermore, supplementation of commercial palm oil with different tocochromanols showed that γ-tocotrienol exerts a stronger effect during the protection of carotenes against oxidation than α-tocotrienol.
UNASSIGNED: Therefore, the introduction of the high γ-tocotrienol trait into elite breeding lines represents a potent strategy to protect carotenes against oxidation and extend the shelf life of CPO, hence allowing the development of a value added high-carotene CPO to be used to fight against vitamin A deficiency.

Background Dentigerous cysts (DC) form due to fluid accumulation between the crown of the tooth and the reduced enamel epithelium. Due to the diverse clinical characteristics, such as ambiguity concerning their biological origins and the significance of timely diagnosis and detection of these lesions, researchers are presently motivated to undertake further investigations. The aim of the present study was to assess the amount of serum alpha-tocopherol in patients with DC and compare it with that of normal, healthy individuals. Methods A total sample size of n=34 was included in the current study. Group A, designated as the control group, comprised 17 randomly selected healthy subjects, while Group B, the DC diagnostic group, consisted of 17 patients. Blood samples were collected, and the concentration of vitamin E or alpha-tocopherol was evaluated and expressed in mg/mL. Results Compared to the mean vitamin E level in healthy controls (12.08 ± 1.92 mg/mL), patients with DC showed a statistically significant (p<0.0001) reduction in mean vitamin E levels (5.29 ± 1.01 mg/mL). Conclusion Patients with DC have lower levels of vitamin E than healthy individuals. The reduced concentration of vitamin E can have a role in the extension of cystic volume and thus have an impact on the aggressiveness of pathologic lesions. The therapeutic benefits of vitamin E supplementation in reducing the aggressiveness of DC should be evaluated in future research.

BACKGROUND: The rate of germination and other physiological characteristics of seeds that are germinating are impacted by deep sowing. Based on the results of earlier studies, conclusions were drawn that deep sowing altered the physio-biochemical and agronomic characteristics of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).
RESULTS: In this study, seeds of wheat were sown at 2 (control) and 6 cm depth and the impact of exogenously applied salicylic acid and tocopherol (Vitamin-E) on its physio-biochemical and agronomic features was assessed. As a result, seeds grown at 2 cm depth witnessed an increase in mean germination time, germination percentage, germination rate index, germination energy, and seed vigor index. In contrast, 6 cm deep sowing resulted in negatively affecting all the aforementioned agronomic characteristics. In addition, deep planting led to a rise in MDA, glutathione reductase, and antioxidants enzymes including APX, POD, and SOD concentration. Moreover, the concentration of chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids, proline, protein, sugar, hydrogen peroxide, and agronomic attributes was boosted significantly with exogenously applied salicylic acid and tocopherol under deep sowing stress.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study showed that the depth of seed sowing has an impact on agronomic and physio-biochemical characteristics and that the negative effects of deep sowing stress can be reduced by applying salicylic acid and tocopherol to the leaves.

Cholesterol analysis by derivatization technique is a time consuming, costly, and complex process while analyzing cholesterol without derivation is a simple, and quick method.Researchers analyzed cholesterol using both derivatization and non-derivatization techniques successfully. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of derivatization in cholesterol analysis particularly on bakery goods.The retention time of non-derivatized cholesterol (11.62 min) and non-derivatized α-tocopherol standard (11.60 min) was very close in HP-5 capillary GC column andthey eluted together while injected as mixed standard. As a result, cholesterol content determined by non-derivatized technique could be overestimated due to the presence of α-tocopherol inbakery products. The peak resolution (Rs) between derivatized cholesterol and derivatized α-tocopherol standard using the appliedgradient GC condition was 3.1 which is well separated (>1.5) based on AOAC guidelines. The derivatized gas chromatographic cholesterol analysis method was verified by limit of detection (LOD; 0.03 mg/100 g), limit of quantification (LOQ; 0.08 mg/100 g), linearity (R2; 0.999),precision (repeatability: relative standard deviation (RSD) 1.5 %; reproducibility: RSD 1.9 %), and accuracy (102.1 % recovery). The verified cholesterol analysis method was subsequently applied to determine cholesterol content in selected bakery items, yielding a range of 2.76 ± 0.06 mg/100 g (chrysanthemum bread) to 114.26 ± 4.72 mg/100 g (castella).

The vitamin E family contains α-tocopherol (αT), βT, γT, and δT and α-tocotrienol (TE), βTE, γTE, and δTE. Research has revealed distinct roles of these vitamin E forms in prostate cancer (PCa). The ATBC trial showed that αT at a modest dose significantly decreased PCa mortality among heavy smokers. However, other randomized controlled trials including the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) indicate that supplementation of high-dose αT (≥400 IU) does not prevent PCa among nonsmokers. Preclinical cell and animal studies also do not support chemopreventive roles of high-dose αT and offer explanations for increased incidence of early-stage PCa reported in the SELECT. In contrast, accumulating animal studies have demonstrated that γT, δT, γTE, and δTE appear to be effective for preventing early-stage PCa from progression to adenocarcinoma in various PCa models. Existing evidence also support therapeutic roles of γTE and its related combinations against advanced PCa. Mechanistic and cell-based studies show that different forms of vitamin E display varied efficacy, that is, δTE ≥ γTE > δT ≥ γT >> αT, in inhibiting cancer hallmarks and enabling characteristics, including uncontrolled cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and inflammation possibly via blocking 5-lipoxygenase, nuclear factor κB, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, modulating sphingolipids, and targeting PCa stem cells. Overall, existing evidence suggests that modest αT supplement may be beneficial to smokers and γT, δT, γTE, and δTE are promising agents for PCa prevention for modest-risk to relatively high-risk population. Despite encouraging preclinical evidence, clinical research testing γT, δT, γTE, and δTE for PCa prevention is sparse and should be considered.

Cationic dendritic amphiphiles were prepared through the linkage of interesting hydrophobic molecules such as cholesterol or vitamin E to the focal point of carbosilane dendrons. These new dendritic systems self-assembled in saline, producing micellar aggregates with hydrodynamic diameters ranging from 6.5 to 9.2 nm, and critical micelle concentrations of approximately 5 and 10 μM for second- and third-generation systems, respectively. The assemblies were able to encapsulate drugs of different charges (anionic, neutral, and cationic). Surprisingly, a 92% encapsulation efficiency for diclofenac was achieved in micelles prepared from second-generation dendrons. Toxicity measurements on peripheral blood mononuclear cells indicated different behavior depending on the generation, corresponding to the micellar regime. In contrast to the third-generation system, the second-generation system was non-toxic up to 20 μM, opening a window for its use in a micellar regimen, thereby operating as a drug delivery system for different biomedical applications.

To investigate the potential functional properties and added value of okra seed oil and provide a scientific basis for further industrial development and production of okra seed oil, its fatty acid profile, total phenolic, fat-soluble vitamin composition, mineral element composition, and antioxidant activities were examined in this study. Also, correlations between bioactive components and the antioxidant activities of okra seed oil were explored. The study results show that okra seed oil contains 12 types of fatty acids, 65.22% of which are unsaturated acids, and among these unsaturated acids, linoleic acid (43%) and oleic acid (20.16%) are two dominant acid types. Compared with walnut oil and peanut oil, okra seed oil contains relatively high total phenols, fat-soluble vitamins, and a variety of essential mineral nutrients, with a total phenolic content (TPC) of 959.65 μg/mL, a total tocopherol content of 742.71 μg/mL, a vitamin A content of 0.0017 μg/100 mL, a vitamin D content of 1.44 μg/100 mL, and a vitamin K1 content of 52.54 ng/100 mg. Also, okra seed oil exhibits better scavenging activities on hydroxyl (IC50 = 0.50 mg/mL) and ammonium salt (ABTS) free radicals (IC50 = 6.46 mg/mL) and certain reducing power (IC50 = 17.22 mg/mL) at the same concentration. The scavenging activities of okra seed oil on hydroxyl radicals and ABTS radicals, as well as its reducing power, are significantly correlated with its contents of total phenol, total tocopherol, α-tocopherol, and γ-tocopherol (p < .01). These results show that okra seed oil is rich in bioactive substances, thus presenting great nutritional potential.

Purification of extracts from the etiolated seedlings of runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus), coupled with mass spectrometry analysis of proteins revealed that the enzyme responsible for tocopherol oxidation activity is lipoxygenase, an enzyme known for enzymatic lipid peroxidation of unsaturated lipids. Biochemical analysis of the activity, along with the expression profile of three LOX isoforms (LOX1, LOX2, LOX3) in various parts of the etiolated seedlings, revealed that LOX3 was the major isoform expressed in the epicotyls, indicating that this isoform was responsible for the tocopherol oxidation activity; in the primary leaves, besides LOX3, the other two isoforms might have also contributed to the activity. The experiments performed in the model systems showed that unsaturated lipids were not required for the tocopherol oxidase activity, but that lipids were necessary to provide an optimal, hydrophobic environment of the substrate for the reaction. The experiments on lipoxygenase and tocopherol oxidase activities in the leaves of light-grown P. coccineus plants during aging and during storage of the extracts from etiolated seedlings showed that the activity of the first reaction decreased considerably faster than the latter, indicating different mechanisms of both reactions performed by the same enzyme. As LOX3 was shown to occur in the apoplast of the related species P. vulgaris, the question as to the physiological function of LOX3 in the tocopherol oxidation activity in P. coccineus is discussed.