The role of alpha tocopheryl succinate (α-TOS) as a potential anticancer agent

In recent years, efforts to improve cancer therapy have focused on developing new anticancer agents, such as mitocans. These agents include vitamin E analogues and suppress cancer by inducing apoptosis by targeting mitochondria. Alpha tocopheryl succinate (α-TOS) is the most effective form of vitamin E analogues causing inhibition of proliferation and apoptosis of cancer cells. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that α-TOS selectively kills tumor cells with little or no effect on normal cells. Treatment with α-TOS shows great promise for future clinical applications, as it causes cell death, at least in part, by selectively inducing apoptosis by mitochondrial destabilization. This review presents an overview of perspectives on α-TOS and the potential uses of α-TOS in cancer treatment and other clinical applications.