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| January 12, 2010 | | Vitamin E may prevent brain damage in stroke victims | | Washington: A new research by the Ohio State University researchers suggests that blocking the function of an enzyme in the brain with a specific kind of vitamin E can prevent nerve cells from dying after a stroke. In a study using mouse brain cells, researchers found
that the tocotrienol, or TCT, form of vitamin E, an alternative to the popular
drugstore supplement, stopped the enzyme from releasing fatty acids that eventually
kill neurons. The researchers have been studying how this form of vitamin E protects
the brain in animal and cell models for a decade, and intend to pursue tests of
its potential to both prevent and treat strokes in humans. "Our research suggests
that the different forms of natural vitamin E have distinct functions. The relatively
poorly studied tocotrienol form of natural vitamin E targets specific pathways
to protect against neural cell death and rescues the brain after stroke injury,"
said Chandan Sen, professor and vice chair for research in Ohio State's Department
of Surgery and senior author of the study. "Here, we identify a novel target for
tocotrienol that explains how neural cells are protected," he said. Vitamin E
occurs naturally in eight different forms. The best-known form of vitamin E belongs
to a variety called tocopherols. Sen's lab discovered tocotrienol vitamin E's
ability to protect the brain 10 years ago. But this current study offers the most
specific details about how that protection works, he said. "We have studied an
enzyme that is present all the time, but one that is activated after a stroke
in a way that causes neurodegeneration. We found that it can be put in check by
very low levels of tocotrienol," Sen said. "So what we have here is a naturally
derived nutrient, rather than a drug, that provides this beneficial impact," he
added. The research appears online and is scheduled for later print publication
in the Journal of Neurochemistry. |
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