A study of the in vivo effects of vitamin E on inflammatory responses in skeletal and cardiac muscle suggests that the vitamin may prove useful in the fight against chronic inflammation.

Professor Kimberly Huey and colleagues at the University of Illinois studied the effects of prior administration of vitamin E in mice that were then injected with a low dose of E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce acute systemic inflammation. Results showed that vitamin E pre-treatment reduced responses of the cytokines IL-6 and IL-1β to LPS in skeletal and cardiac muscle. Pre-treatment also prevented the LPS-induced increases in nuclear factor kappa beta activation and total oxidized proteins, which were observed in control mice.

“Vitamin E is a supplement that is already approved, and these results may suggest an additional benefit of taking Vitamin E beyond what’s already been shown,” said Professor Huey in a news release. According to Huey, the findings suggest that vitamin E ”may be beneficial in individuals with chronic inflammation, such as the elderly or patients with type II diabetes or chronic heart failure.”

Huey KA, Fiscus G, Richwine AF, Johnson RW, Meador BM. In vivo vitamin E administration attenuates interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β responses to an acute inflammatory insult in mouse skeletal and cardiac muscle. Experimental Physiology. 2008;93:1263-1272. doi:10.1113/expphysiol.2008.043190

News release: Vitamin E shows possible promise in easing chronic inflammation. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. December 4th 2008.