Recent advances in the determination of tocopherols in biological fluids: from sample pretreatment and liquid chromatography to clinical studies
Abstract
Vitamin E comprises eight related compounds: alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta-tocopherols and alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta-tocotrienols. In the past, alpha-tocopherol has been the isomer that was studied most, and its anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects have been described.
Therefore, many prevention trials have investigated the effect of alpha-tocopherol on human health. Current research studies have also defined the important roles of other tocopherols, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and cancer preventative effects.
Knowledge of the individual tocopherols could help to understand their roles in various metabolic pathways. This review summarizes the recent trends in sample pretreatment, liquid chromatography and selected applications of the determination of tocopherols in various biological materials.
The relationship between tocopherol isomers and serious diseases is also described.