| Candidate ID: | R1510 |
| Source ID: | DB14003 |
| Source Type: | approved |
| Compound Type: |
small molecule
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| Compound Name: |
alpha-Tocopherol acetate
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| Synonyms: |
Tocopherol acetate; Tocopherol acetate, unspecified; Tocopheryl acetate; Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol acetate); Vitamin E acetate; Vitamin E acetate, unspecified form
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| Molecular Formula: |
--
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| SMILES: |
--
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| DrugBank Description: |
Alpha-tocopherol is the primary form of vitamin E that is preferentially used by the human body to meet appropriate dietary requirements. In particular, the RRR-alpha-tocopherol (or sometimes called the d-alpha-tocopherol stereoisomer) stereoisomer is considered the natural formation of alpha-tocopherol and generally exhibits the greatest bioavailability out of all of the alpha-tocopherol stereoisomers. Moreover, RRR-alpha-tocopherol acetate is a relatively stabilized form of vitamin E that is most commonly used as a food additive when needed .
Alpha-tocopherol acetate is subsequently most commonly indicated for dietary supplementation in individuals who may demonstrate a genuine deficiency in vitamin E. Vitamin E itself is naturally found in various foods, added to others, or used in commercially available products as a dietary supplement. The recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for vitamin E alpha-tocopherol are: males = 4 mg (6 IU) females = 4 mg (6 IU) in ages 0-6 months, males = 5 mg (7.5 IU) females = 5 mg (7.5 IU) in ages 7-12 months, males = 6 mg (9 IU) females = 6 mg (9 IU) in ages 1-3 years, males = 7 mg (10.4 IU) females = 7 mg (10.4 IU) in ages 4-8 years, males = 11 mg (16.4 IU) females = 11 mg (16.4 IU) in ages 9-13 years, males = 15 mg (22.4 IU) females = 15 mg (22.4 IU) pregnancy = 15 mg (22.4 IU) lactation = 19 mg (28.4 IU) in ages 14+ years . Most individuals obtain adequate vitamin E intake from their diets; genuine vitamin E deficiency is considered to be rare.
Nevertheless, vitamin E is known to be a fat-soluble antioxidant that has the capability to neutralize endogenous free radicals. This biologic action of vitamin E consequently continues to generate ongoing interest and study in whether or not its antioxidant abilities may be used to help assist in preventing or treating a number of different conditions like cardiovascular disease, ocular conditions, diabetes, cancer and more. At the moment however, there exists a lack of formal data and evidence to support any such additional indications for vitamin E use.
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| CAS Number: |
7695-91-2
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| Molecular Weight: |
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| DrugBank Indication: |
The primary health-related use for which alpha-tocopherol acetate is formally indicated is as a dietary supplement for patients who demonstrate a genuine vitamin E deficiency. At the same time, vitamin E deficiency is generally quite rare but may occur in premature babies of very low birth weight (< 1500 grams), individuals with fat-malabsorption disorders (as fat is required for the digestive tract to absorb vitamin E), or individuals with abetalipoproteinemia - a rare, inherited disorder that causes poor absorption of dietary fat - who require extremely large doses of supplemental vitamin E daily (around 100 mg/kg or 5-10 g/day) . In all such cases, alpha-tocopherol is largely the preferred form of vitamin E to be administered.
Elsewhere, vitamin E's chemical profile as a fat-soluble antioxidant that is capable of neutralizing free radicals in the body continues to generate ongoing interest and study regarding how and whether or not the vitamin can help prevent or delay various chronic diseases associated with free radicals or other potential biological effects that vitamin E possesses like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, ocular conditions, immune illnesses, cancer, and more . None of these ongoing studies have yet to elucidate any formally significant evidence, however .
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| DrugBank Pharmacology: |
Of the eight separate variants of vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol is the predominant form of vitamin E in human and animal tissues, and it has the highest bioavailability . This is because the liver preferentially resecretes only alpha-tocopherol by way of the hepatic alpha-tocopherol transfer protein (alpha-TTP); the liver metabolizes and excretes all the other vitamin E variants, which is why blood and cellular concentrations of other forms of vitamin E other than alpha-tocopherol are ultimately lower .
Furthermore, the term alpha-tocopherol generally refers to a group of eight possible stereoisomers which is often called all-rac-tocopherol for being a racemic mixture of all eight stereoisomers . Of the eight stereoisomers, the RRR-alpha-tocopherol - or sometimes referred to as the d-alpha-tocopherol - stereoisomer is the naturally occurring form of alpha-tocopherol that is perhaps best recognized by the alpha-TTP and has been reported to demonstrate approximately twice the systemic availability of all-rac-tocopherol .
As a result, often times (but certainly not always) the discussion of vitamin E - at least within the context of using the vitamin for health-related indications - is generally in reference to the use of RRR- or d-alpha-tocopherol.
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| DrugBank MoA: |
Vitamin E's antioxidant capabilities are perhaps the primary biological action associated with alpha-tocopherol. In general, antioxidants protect cells from the damaging effects of free radicals, which are molecules that consist of an unshared electron . These unshared electrons are highly energetic and react rapidly with oxygen to form reactive oxygen species (ROS) . In doing so, free radicals are capable of damaging cells, which may facilitate their contribution to the development of various diseases . Moreover, the human body naturally forms ROS when it converts food into energy and is also exposed to environmental free radicals contained in cigarette smoke, air pollution, or ultraviolet radiation from the sun . It is believed that perhaps vitamin E antioxidants might be able to protect body cells from the damaging effects of such frequent free radical and ROS exposure .
Specifically, vitamin E is a chain-breaking antioxidant that prevents the propagation of free radical reactions . The vitamin E molecule is specifically a peroxyl radical scavenger and especially protects polyunsaturated fatty acids within endogenous cell membrane phospholipids and plasma lipoproteins . Peroxyl free radicals react with vitamin E a thousand times more rapidly than they do with the aforementioned polyunsaturated fatty acids . Furthermore, the phenolic hydroxyl group of tocopherol reacts with an organic peroxyl radical to form an organic hydroperoxide and tocopheroxyl radical . This tocopheroxyl radical can then undergo various possible reactions: it could (a) be reduced by other antioxidants to tocopherol, (b) react with another tocopheroxyl radical to form non-reactive products like tocopherol dimers, (c) undergo further oxidation to tocopheryl quinone, or (d) even act as a prooxidant and oxidize other lipids .
In addition to the antioxidant actions of vitamin E, there have been a number of studies that report various other specific molecular functions associated with vitamin E . For example, alpha-tocopherol is capable of inhibiting protein kinase C activity, which is involved in cell proliferation and differentiation in smooth muscle cells, human platelets, and monocytes . In particular, protein kinase C inhibition by alpha-tocopherol is partially attributable to its attenuating effect on the generation of membrane-derived dialglycerol, a lipid that facilitates protein kinase C translocation, thereby increasing its activity .
In addition, vitamin E enrichment of endothelial cells downregulates the expression of intercellular cell adhesion molecule (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), thereby decreasing the adhesion of blood cell components to the endothelium .
Vitamin E also upregulates the expression of cytosolic phospholipase A2 and cyclooxygenase-1 . The increased expression of these two rate-limiting enzymes in the arachidonic acid cascade explains the observation that vitamin E, in a dose-dependent fashion, enhanced the release of prostacyclin, a potent vasodilator and inhibitor of platelet aggregation in humans .
Furthermore, vitamin E can inhibit platelet adhesion, aggregation, and platelet release reactions . The vitamin can also evidently inhibit the plasma generation of thrombin, a potent endogenous hormone that binds to platelet receptors and induces aggregation of platelets . Moreover, vitamin E may also be able to decrease monocyte adhesion to the endothellium by downregulating expression of adhesion molecules and decreasing monocyte superoxide production .
Given these proposed biological activities of vitamin E, the substance continues to generate ongoing interest and studies in whether or not vitamin E can assist in delaying or preventing various diseases with any one or more of its biologic actions. For instance, studies continue to see whether vitamin E's ability to inhibit low-density lipoprotein oxidation can aid in preventing the development of cardiovascular disease or atherogenesis .
Similarly, it is also believed that if vitamin E can decrease the chance of cardiovascular disease then it can also decrease the chance of related diabetic disease and complications . In much the same way, it is also believed that perhaps the antioxidant abilities of vitamin E can neutralize free radicals that are constantly reacting and damaging cellular DNA . Furthermore, it is also believed that free radical damage does contribute to protein damage in the ocular lens - another free radical-mediated condition that may potentially be prevented by vitamin E use . Where it is also suggested that various central nervous system disorders like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Down's syndrome, and Tardive Dyskinesia possess some form of oxidative stress component, it is also proposed that perhaps vitamin E use could assist with its antioxidant action .
There have also been studies that report the possibility of vitamin E supplementation can improve or reverse the natural decline in cellular immune function in healthy, elderly individuals .
As of this time however, there is either only insufficient data or even contradicting data (where certain doses of vitamin E supplementation could even potentially increase all-cause mortality) on which to suggest the use of vitamin E could formally benefit in any of these proposed indications.
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| Targets: |
Free radicals binder
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| Inclusion Criteria: |
Therapeutic strategy associated
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