title: d-alpha-tocopherol inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation occurs at physiological concentrations, correlates with protein kinase C inhibition, and is independent of its antioxidant properties.
abstract: d-alpha-Tocopherol, but not d-beta-tocopherol, negatively regulates proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells at physiological concentrations. d-alpha-Tocopherol inhibits protein kinase C (PKC) activity, whereas d-beta-tocopherol is ineffective. Furthermore d-beta-tocopherol prevents the inhibition of cell growth and of PKC activity caused by d-alpha-tocopherol. The negative regulation by d-alpha-tocopherol of PKC activity appears to be the cause and not the effect of smooth muscle cell growth inhibition. d-alpha-Tocopherol does not act by binding to PKC directly but presumably by preventing PKC activation. It is concluded that, in vascular smooth muscle cells, d-alpha-tocopherol acts specifically through a nonantioxidant mechanism and exerts a negative control on a signal transduction pathway regulating cell proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, Universität Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tasinato
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boscoboinik
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Bartoli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maroni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azzi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001011:Aorta; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004988:Ethers, Cyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007536:Isomerism; D007700:Kinetics; D008387:Marine Toxins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D019319:Okadaic Acid; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010080:Oxazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D004988:Ethers, Cyclic; D008387:Marine Toxins; D009281:Naphthalenes; D009842:Oligopeptides; D010080:Oxazoles; D014810:Vitamin E; D019319:Okadaic Acid; C059041:calyculin A; D011493:Protein Kinase C; C058819:calphostin C; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; D013936:Thymidine