Dose-dependent effects of dietary alpha- and gamma-tocopherols on genetic instability in mouse Mutatect tumors

Vitamin E in foodstuffs is a mixture of tocopherols. In mouse Mutatect tumors, a model designed to detect DNA mutations, the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) gene mutation frequency is associated with the number of tumor-infiltrating neutrophils and both are markedly decreased in mice fed high levels of alpha-tocopherol. Dietary alpha-tocopherol is also associated with a decrease in neutrophil-associated loss of an interleukin 8 (IL-8)-expressing transgene in this tumor model. We examined Hprt gene mutation frequency (expressed as the number of 6-thioguanine-resistant colonies per 10(5) clonable tumor cells), IL-8 transgene loss, and myeloperoxidase activity (an indirect measure of neutrophil number) in tumors from Mutatect mice fed diets supplemented with various concentrations of D-alpha-tocopherol acetate and/or D-gamma-tocopherol acetate or neither tocopherol for 4 weeks. Hprt gene mutation frequency and myeloperoxidase activity were statistically significantly lower in tumor cells from mice fed alpha-tocopherol at 50 or 100 mg/kg body weight per day than in tumor cells from mice fed 0 mg/kg body weight per day alpha-tocopherol (P<.001 for each comparison). IL-8 transgene loss occurred in 28 of 28 tumors (100%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 86% to 100%) from mice fed alpha-tocopherol at 50 mg or less/kg body weight per day and seven of 18 tumors (39%; 95% CI = 24% to 54%) from mice fed 100 mg/kg body weight per day (P<.001, Fisher's exact test, referent groups [pooled] 0, 25, and 50 mg/kg). gamma-Tocopherol had no detectable effect on any of the three endpoints. Thus, dietary alpha-tocopherol decreases two forms of genetic instability in a dose-dependent manner in this experimental tumor model.