title: Some aspects of vitamin E related to humans and breast cancer prevention.
abstract: The biological activities of vitamin E are related to the cellular functions and presence of sufficient tissue concentrations of this micronutrient. Most of the stored vitamin E is in the adipose tissue where it appears to be distributed equally. The breast adipose tissue has similar vitamin E concentrations as other parts of the body. The ductal systems also store vitamin E in sufficient concentrations to maintain cellular functions. The milk secreted from the ducts of the breast contains a high concentration of tocopherol. Whereas the normal breast tissue presumably utilizes vitamin E as an antioxidant, tumor tissue appears to handle vitamin E differently. Breast tumors possessing estrogen negative receptors and having poor histological differentiation have lower concentrations of vitamin E than tumors with positive estrogen receptors and well differentiated histology. Since vitamin E is considered the principal, if not sole, chain-breaking lipophilic antioxidant in plasma and tissue, its role as a potential chemopreventive agent in breast cancer should be further investigated. The combination of vitamin E with other cancer chemopreventive agents appears to be a reasonable procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA.
authors.forename: N V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Dimitrov
authors.forename: R Q
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: T I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001940:Breast / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E