title: On the mechanism of the anticlotting action of vitamin E quinone.
abstract: Vitamin E in the reduced, alpha-tocopherol form shows very modest anticlotting activity. By contrast, vitamin E quinone is a potent anticoagulant. This observation may have significance for field trials in which vitamin E is observed to exhibit beneficial effects on ischemic heart disease and stroke. Vitamin E quinone is a potent inhibitor of the vitamin K-dependent carboxylase that controls blood clotting. A newly discovered mechanism for the inhibition requires attachment of the active site thiol groups of the carboxylase to one or more methyl groups on vitamin E quinone. The results from a series of model reactions support this interpretation of the anticlotting activity associated with vitamin E.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dowd
authors.forename: Z B
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008956:Models, Chemical; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D014810:Vitamin E; C002421:tocopherylquinone