Vitamin E succinate helps fight pancreatic cancer

By David Liu, PHD

Friday April 27, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Taking vitamin E succinate supplements may help fight pancreatic cancer, according to a new study in the journal Genes and Nutrition.

The study led by Dorrelyn Patacsil and colleagues from University of the District of Columbia in Washington DC shows that vtamin E succinate inhibits survivin and induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells.

Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family with which cells like cancer cells won't die.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cancer-related death cause in the United States. The vurvial rate is no more than 5 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Vitamin E succinate is an anlog of the fat-soluble vitamin alpha-cotopherol, which is a common antioxidant.

The current study was to test how Vitamin E succinate affect pancreatic cancer cells.  The study shows that this vitamin inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis proteins in pancreatic cancer cells.

Additionally, vitamin E succinate was found to inhibit the expression of survivin and regulate X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis proteins.   Apoptosis is a process called programmed cell death which is missing in cancer cells leading to the cancer growth.

Keywords  Vitamin E – Vitamin E succinate – Survivin – Pancreatic cancer – Apoptosis