Abstract
Oxygen derived free radical species have been implicated in an increasing number of disease processes (Halliwell and Gutteridge 1985a) including neurological disorders (Halliwell and Gutteridge 1985b), and as a result antioxidant therapy has been suggested for a number of diseases affecting the nervous system. in vivo antioxidant defenses can be divided into 2 categories. Firstly preventative antioxidants such as catalase and glutathione peroxidase which prevent the formation of free radical species, and secondly chain breaking antioxidants such as Superoxide dismutase, ascorbate, urate and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) which trap oxygen derived free radicals and halt the chain reaction. This paper will concentrate on the therapeutic role of vitamin E in neurological disorders, as in practice the administration of this fat soluble vitamin is a simple and safe way of altering antioxidant status in vivo. Alpha-tocopherol is also potentially important as it is the only well recognised lipid soluble chain breaking antioxidant in vivo (Burton et al 1983) and may, therefore, be expected to play an important role in such highly lipid structures as the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alade,S.L., Brown,R.E., and Paquet,A., 1986, Polysorbate 80 and E-Ferol toxicity, Pediatrics, 77:593.
Anonymous, 1986, Vitamin E deficiency, Lancet, 1:423.
Aranda, J.V., Chemtob, S., Laudignon, N., and Sasyniuk, B.I., 1986, Furosemide and vitamin E: two problem drugs in neonatology, Ped Clin N Amer., 33:583.
Azizi, E., Zaidman, J. L., Eshchar, J., and Szeinberg, A., 1978, Abetalipoproteinemia treated with parenteral and oral vitamins A and E, and with medium chain triglycerides, Acta Paediatr Scand., 67:797.
Bell, F.E., and Filer, L.J., 1981, The role of vitamin E in the nutrition of premature infants, Am J Clin Nutr., 34:414.
Burton, G.W., Joyce, A., and Ingold, K.U., 1983, Is vitamin E the only lipid-soluble, chain-breaking antioxidant in human blood plasma and erythrocyte membranes?, Arch Biochem Biophys., 221:281.
Cadet, J.L., Lohr, J.B., and Jeste, D.V., 1986, Free radicals and tardive dyskinesia, Trends Neurosci., 9:107.
Chiswick,M.L., Johnson, M., Woodhall, C., Gowland,M., Davies, J., Toner,N., and Sims,D.G., 1983, Protective effect of vitamin E (DL-alpha--tocopherol ) against intraventricular haemorrhage in premature babies, Br Med J., 287:81.
Committe on Fetus and Newborn, 1985, Vitamin E and the prevention of retinopathy of prematurity, Pediatrics., 76:313.
Dexter, D.T., Carter, C.J., Wells, F.R., Javoy-Agid, F., Agid,Y., Lees,A., Jenner,P., and Marsden,C.D., 1989, Basal lipid peroxidation in substantia nigra is increased in Parkinson’s disease, J Neurochem., 52:38 1.
Fahn, S., High dosage antioxidants in early Parkinson’s disease, Ann NY Acad Sci., in press.
Finer, N.N., Peters, K,L., Hayek, Z., and Merke] C.L., 1984, Vitamin E and necrotizing enterocolitis, Pediatrics, 73:3.
Guggenheim, M.A., Ringel, S.P., Silvermart, A., and Grabert , B.E., 1982, Progressive neuromuscular disease in children with chronic cholestasis and vitamin E deficiency: diagnosis and treatment with alpha toeopherol, Pediatrics, 100:51.
Haga, P., Ek, J., and Kran, S., 1982, Plasma tocopherol levels and vitamin E/B-lipoprotein relationships during pregnancy and in cord blood, Am J Clin Nutr., 36:1200.
Halliwell, B., and Gutteridge, J.M.C., 1985a, Oxygen radicals and the nervous system, Trends Neurosci., 8:22.
Halliwell, B., and Gutteridge, J.M.C., (1985b) Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine, Oxford University Press, Oxford .
Harding, A.E., Matthews, S., Jones,S., Ellis, C.J.K., Booth,I.W., and Muller, D.P.R., 1985, Spinocerehe 11ar degeneration associated with a selective defect of vitamin E absorption, N Engl J Med., 313:32.
Harries, J.T., and Müller, D.P.R., 1971, Absorption of vitamin E in children with biliary obstruction, Gut, 12:579.
Herbert, P.N., Gotto, A.M., and Fredrickson, D.S., 1978, Familial lipoprotein deficiency, in: The Metabolic Basis of Inherited Diseases, Stanbury, J.B., Wyngaarden, J.B., Fredrickson, U.S., eds, McGraw Hill, New York.
Johnson, L., Schaffer, D., and Goggs, T.R., 1974, The premature infant, vitamin E deficiency and retro 1 enta 1 fibroplasia, Am J Clin Nutr., 25:1158.
Johnson, L., Bowen F.W., Abbasi,S., Herrmann,N., Weston, M., Sacks,L., Porat,R., Stahl,G., Peckham, G., Delivoria-Papadopoulos, M., Quinn,G., and Schaffer, D., 1985, Relationship of prolonged pharmacologio serum levels of vitamin E to incidence of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis in infants with birth weight 1,500 grams or less, Pediatrics, 75:619.
Johnson, L., Abbasi,S., Quinn, G.E., Otis, C., and Bowen, F.W., 1988, Vitamin E and retinopathy of prematurity, Pediatrics, 81:329.
Kinsey, V.E., 1956, Retrolental fibroplasia: cooperative study of retrolental fibroplasia and the use of oxygen, Arch Ophthalmol., 56:481.
Lohr, J.B., Cadet J.L., Lohr, M.A., Jeste, D.V., and Wyatt, R.J., 1987, Alpha-tocohperol in tardive dyskinesia, Lancet, 1:913.
Lorch,B., Murphy, D., Hoersten, L.R., Harris,E., Fitzgerald, J., and Sinha, S.N., 1985, Unusual syndrome among premature infants: association with a new intravenous vitamin E product, Pediatrics, 75:598.
Muller, D.P.R., Harries, J.T., and Lloyd, J.K., 1974, The relative importance of the factors involved in the absorption of vitamin E in children, Gut, 15:966.
Muller, D.P.R., Lloyd, J.K., and Bird, A.C., 1977, Long-term management of abetalipoproteinaemia, possible role for vitamin E, Arch Dis Childh., 52:209.
Muller, D.P.R., Lloyd, J.K., and Wolff, O.H., 1983, Vitamin E and neurological function, Lancet, 1:225.
Müller, D.P.R., 1987, Free radical problems of the newborn, Proc Nutr Soc., 46:69.
Nelson, J.S., Fitch, C.D., Fischer, V.W., Broun, G.O., and Chou, A.C., 1981, Progressive neuropathologic lesions in vitamin E-deficient rhesus monkeys, J Neuropath Exp Neurol., 40:166.
Owens, W.C., and Owens, E.U., 1941, Retrolental fibroplasia in premature infants. II. Studies on the prophylaxis of the disease. The use of alphatocophery1 acetate, Am J Ophthalmol., 32:1631.
Phe1ps, D.L., 1982, Vitamin E and retrolental fibroplasia in 1982, Pediatrics, 70:420.
Phelps, D.L., Rosenbaum, A.L., Isenberg, S.J., Leake, R.D., and Dorey, F.J., 1987, Tocopherol efficacy and safety for preventing retinopathy of prematurity: a randomized, controlled, double-masked trial, Pediatrics , 79 : 489 .
Santavuori, P., Heiskala, H., Westermarck, T., Sainio, K., and Moren, R., 1988, Experience over 17 years with antioxidant treatment in Spielmeyer-Sjogren disease, Am J Med Gen Suppl., 5:265.
Sinha, S., Davies, J., Toner, N., Bogle, S.. and Chiswick, M., 1987, Vitamin E supplementation reduces frequency of peri ventricular haemorrhage in very preterm babies, Lancet., 1:466.
Sokol, K.J., Guggenheim, M., lannaccone, S.T., Barkhaus, P.E., Miller, C., Silverman, A., Balistreri, W.F., and Heubi, J.E., 1985, Improved neurologic function after long-term correction of vitamin E deficiency in children with chronic cholestasis, N Engl J Mod., 313:1580.
Sokol, R.J., Kayden, H.J., Bettis, D.B., Traber, M.G., Neville, H., Ringel, S., Wilson, W.B., and Stumpf D.A., 1988, Isolated vitamin E deficiency in the absence of fat malabsorption -familial and sporadic cases: characterization and investigation of causes, J Lab Ci in Med., 111:548.
Sokol, R.J., Butler-Simon, N.A., Bettis, D., Smith, D.J., and Silverman, A., 1987, Tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate therapy for vitamin E deficiency during chronic childhood cholestasis: neurological outcome, J Peds., 111:830.
Speer, M.E., Blifeld, C., Rudolph, A.J., Chadda, P., Holbein, M.E.B., and Hittner, H.M., 1984, Intraventricular hemorrhage and vitamin E in the very low-birth-weight infant: evidence for efficacy of early intramuscular vitamin E administration, Pediatrics, 74:1107.
Stead, R. J., Muller, D.P.R., Matthews, S., Hodson, M.E., and Batten, J.C., 1986, Effect of abnormal liver function on vitamin E status and supplementation in adults with cystic fibrosisr Gut, 27:714.
Terry, T.L., 1942, Extreme prematurity and fibroplastic overgrowth of persistent vascular sheath behind each crysalline lens, Am J Ophthalmol., 25:203.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1990 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Muller, D.P.R. (1990). Antioxidant Therapy in Neurological Disorders. In: Emerit, I., Packer, L., Auclair, C. (eds) Antioxidants in Therapy and Preventive Medicine. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 264. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5730-8_73
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5730-8_73
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-5732-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-5730-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive