[Does alpha-tocopherol interact with the active center of cytochrome P-450 in liver microsomes?]

The interaction of alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T) and its synthetic derivative 2,2,5,7,8-pentamethyl-6-hydroxy-chroman (PMC) with cytochrome P-450 system was studied in the rat liver microsomes. Spectral differentiations of type I, increase of NADPH oxidation rate and inhibition of 7-ethoxycoumarin deethylase in microsomes were observed only in the presence of PMC. The results obtained suggest that unlike alpha-T, PMC is effectively bound and metabolized by cytochrome P-450.