Open AccessVitamin E: More than an antioxidant
Author(s) -
Steiner Manfred
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
clinical cardiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.263
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1932-8737
pISSN - 0160-9289
DOI - 10.1002/clc.4960161306
Subject(s) - medicine , vitamin e , platelet , antioxidant , vitamin , in vivo , tocopherol , platelet activation , endocrinology , pharmacology , biochemistry , biology , microbiology and biotechnology
The effect of vitamin E on platelet function has been reviewed. Although vitamin E inhibits platelet aggregation in vitro, in vivo it has no significant effect when administered in doses up to 1200 U/day. Platelet adhesion, on the contrary, is strongly inhibited by α‐tocopherol. Doses of 400 IU/day provide greater than 75% inhibition of platelet adhesion to a variety of adhesive proteins when tested at low shear rate in a laminar flow chamber. The antiadhesive effect of vitamin E appears to be related to a reduction in the number and size of pseudopodia upon platelet activation. This effect of vitamin E may be related to changes in fatty acylation of structural platelet proteins. Clinical studies of vitamin E supplementation in patients with thromboembolic disease are in progress.