An antithrombotic role for nutritional antioxidants: implications for tumor metastasis and other pathologies

Nutritional antioxidants support prostacyclin synthesis by preventing lipid hydroperoxide-mediated inhibition of prostacyclin synthetase. Recent preliminary clinical studies indicate that supplementary antioxidants exert antithrombotic effects in vivo that are most likely attributable to enhanced prostacyclin production. Optimal antioxidant nutrition may thus have preventive and therapeutic value for disorders in which inappropriate platelet aggregation plays an etiologic role, including MI, stroke, atherogenesis, pre-eclampsia, and the vascular complications of diabetes. In light of evidence that platelet aggregation encourages the implantation of hematogenous tumor metastases, supplemental antioxidants should also impede tumor dissemination--an effect which will be complemented by the immunostimulant actions of these nutrients. By exerting anticarcinogenic, immunostimulant and anti-metastatic effects, nutritional antioxidants should act to inhibit neoplasia at each stage of its development.