Inhibition of inflammation and carcinogenesis in the lung and colon by tocopherols

Tocopherols, which exist in alpha, beta, gamma, and delta forms, are antioxidative nutrients also known as vitamin E. Although alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T) is the major form of vitamin E found in the blood and tissues, gamma- and delta-T have been suggested to have stronger anti-inflammatory activities. In the present study, using a tocopherol mixture that is rich in gamma-T (gamma-TmT, which contains 57%gamma-T), we demonstrated the inhibition of inflammation as well as of cancer formation and growth in the lung and colon in animal models. When given in the diet at 0.3%, gamma-TmT inhibited chemically induced lung tumorigenesis in the A/J mice as well as the growth of human lung cancer cell H1299 xenograft tumors. gamma-TmT also decreased the levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, gamma-H2AX, and nitrotyrosine in tumors. More evident anti-inflammatory and cancer preventive activities of dietary gamma-TmT were demonstrated in mice treated with azoxymethane and dextran sulfate sodium. These results demonstrate the antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic activities of tocopherols.