title: Vitamin E analogues: a new class of inducers of apoptosis with selective anti-cancer effects.
abstract: In spite of unrelenting effort, the net incidence of neoplastic diseases appears not to have been curbed. While some types of cancer have been suppressed significantly, others are either stagnating or on the increase. Therefore, the need for a cure is imperative, in particularly a drug or combination of drugs that would be selective for malignant cells, i.e. with as low secondary toxicity as possible. Recent data strongly suggest that analogues of vitamin E, epitomised by the most studied alpha-tocopheryl succinate (alpha-TOS), may meet the need for the coveted drugs with a selective anti-neoplastic effect. The reasons for this optimism are reviewed in this article.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Science, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia. j.neuzil@griffith.edu.au
authors.forename: Jiri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neuzil
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomasetti
authors.forename: Albert S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mellick
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alleva
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Salvatore
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Birringer
authors.forename: Marc W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Fariss
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D014810:Vitamin E