title: Effects of tocopherol (vitamin E) acid succinate on morphological alterations and growth inhibition in melanoma cells in culture.
abstract: The effects of various forms of tocopherol (vitamin E) on the growth and differentiation of mouse melanoma (B-16) and mouse fibroblast (L-cells) cells in culture were studied. D-alpha-tocopherol acid succinate induced morphological alterations and growth inhibition in melanoma cells. When vitamin E acid succinate was removed 4 days after treatment, the above changes remained irreversible for a period of 24 hr, after which resistant cells and partially affected cells renewed cell division and eventually reached confluency. The relative efficacy of D and DL forms of vitamin E acid succinate remains to be evaluated. However, other forms of vitamin E such as DL-alpha-tocopherol free alcohol, Aquasol DL-alpha-tocopherol acetate, DL-alpha-tocopherol nicotinate, or sodium succinate with an equivalent volume of ethanol, at similar concentrations, were ineffective. Vitamin E acid succinate at similar concentrations did not induce morphological changes in fibroblasts. Melanoma cells were about 2-fold more sensitive to vitamin E acid succinate than were fibroblasts for the criterion of growth inhibition. Vitamin E acid succinate-induced morphological changes and growth inhibition in melanoma cells were expressed in hormone-supplemented serum-free medium, but the concentration requirement was about 5 times less than that needed in serum-supplemented medium. Although cyclic adenosine 3': 5'-monophosphate-stimulating agents are known to cause growth inhibition and morphological changes in melanoma cells in culture, vitamin E acid succinate-induced morphological alterations in melanoma cells are no mediated by a rise in cellular cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate. Ethanol was sufficient to increase the melanin content in melanoma cells. These data show that vitamin E acid succinate may be a potentially useful tumor therapeutic agent.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007739:L Cells / Q000473:pathology; D008543:Melanins / Q000378:metabolism; D008545:Melanoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000473:pathology; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D024505:Tocopherols; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins; D011506:Proteins; D014810:Vitamin E; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D024505:Tocopherols