title: Alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl quinone levels in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  alpha-Tocopherol is a potent antioxidant that protects cell membranes against oxidative damage. Red blood cell alpha-tocopherol levels reflect membrane alpha-tocopherol concentrations, and altered levels may suggest membrane damage. The objective of this study was to determine the levels of alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl quinone, the oxidized product of alpha-tocopherol, in plasma and red blood cells that were obtained from control subjects and patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, 72 women, (32 African American and 40 Hispanic) were recruited. Among these subjects, 37 women had cervical intraepithelial neoplasia; 14 women had cervical cancer, and 21 women were considered control subjects, who had normal Papanicolaou test results. alpha-Tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl quinone levels were determined in red blood cell and plasma by high-pressure liquid chromatography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma levels of alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl quinone were decreased significantly (P=.012 and=.005, respectively, by Kruskal-Wallis test) in study groups compared with the control group; red blood cell levels of alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl quinone were not altered significantly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The lower alpha-tocopherol level that was observed in this study is consistent with our previous reports of decreased antioxidant concentrations and increased oxidative stress in women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Unaltered red blood cell alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl quinone levels suggest undamaged cell membrane. Further studies are needed to investigate the potential role of oxidative stress in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Prabhudas R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Palan
authors.forename: Angela L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Woodall
authors.forename: Patrick S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Magdy S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Mikhail
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D003127:Colposcopy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood*; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000097:blood*; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D014810:Vitamin E; C002421:tocopherylquinone; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol