[Tom]

December 11, 2006

alpha-Tocopheryl succinate fights treatment-resistant breast cancer tumors

In a study scheduled to be presented at the the Gold Coast Health and Medical Research Conference, which will be held December 14-15, 2006 in Gold Coast, Australia, Associate Professor Jiri Neuzil and colleagues at Australia's Griffith University’s School of Medical Science found that alpha-tocopheryl succinate, a precursor of vitamin E, helps induce the death of breast cancer cell lines which over-express human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2). HER2, which is overexpressed in approximately 30 percent of breast cancers, is associated with treatment resistance, including resistance to chemotherapy.

In the current study, mice bred to develop breast cancers with high levels of HER2 were treated for three weeks with alpha-tocopheryl succinate. Tumor volume was monitored by ultrasound imaging every three days. The research team found that while the compound was effective alone, its delivery was enhanced when it was given in a conjugate form with a targeting peptide. "Tumor volume reduced more than 50% when animals were treated with the conjugate rather than free alpha-tocopheryl succinate," Professor Neuzil observed.

"Alpha-tocopheryl succinate has already shown promise as a potent anticancer agent in diseases such as colon cancer and mesothelioma," Dr Neuzil noted. "It induces controlled cell death or apoptosis in tumor cells."

One of the compound's benefits in cancer therapy is that it is metabolized in the liver to vitamin E, and is not likely to cause significant adverse effects.

alpha-Tocopheryl succinate has the potential to be a safe, selective and inexpensive therapy for treatment-resistant breast cancers, Dr Neuzil concluded