Minireview Vitamin E succinate and cancer treatment: a vitamin E prototype for selective antitumour activity J Neuzil1,2 1School of Health Sciences, Griffith University, Southport 9726, Queensland, Australia 2Department of Pathology II, University Hospital, Linkoping, Sweden Correspondence to: Dr J Neuzil, E-mail: j.neuzil@griffith.edu.au Great hope has been given to micronutrients as anticancer agents, since they present natural compounds with beneficial effects for normal cells and tissues. One of these is vitamin E (VE), an antioxidant and an essential component of biological membranes and circulating lipoproteins. In spite of a number of epidemiological and intervention studies, little or no correlation between VE intake and incidence of cancer has been found. Recent reports have identified a redox-silent analogue of VE, -tocopheryl succinate (-TOS), as a potent anticancer agent with a unique structure and pharmacokinetics in vivo. -TOS is highly selective for malignant cells, inducing them into apoptotic death largely via the mitochondrial route. The molecule of -TOS may be modified so that analogues with higher activity are generated. Finally, -TOS and similar agents are metabolised to VE, thereby yielding a compound with a secondary beneficial activity. Thus, -TOS epitomises a group of novel compounds that hold substantial promise as future anticancer drugs. The reasons for this optimistic notion are discussed in the following paragraphs. Ann's NOTE: We are unable to access the entire paper at this time. It usually costs money or the cost of a full subscription to access this info. But help is on the way. Many journals are beginning to offer free access to advocates. (12/04) British Journal of Cancer (2003) 89, 1822-1826. 10/03 Cancer Letters, April 2007 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.