Vitamin E biotransformation in humans

Vitam Horm. 2007:76:263-80. doi: 10.1016/S0083-6729(07)76009-0.

Abstract

The presence and activity of vitamin E in the organism as well as its role in disease prevention depend, as for any other microconstituent in food, on a number of factors related to its release from the food matrix, extent of absorption, and metabolic fate. Biotransformation can be defined as the sum of processes in which vitamin E compounds are altered by the body. It involves the bioactivation and production of reactive metabolites, a series of processes generally referred to as "vitamin E metabolism." This chapter will provide an overview of the known and less known steps of vitamin E biotransformation in humans. Due to recent advances related to the biological activities and metabolic processing of vitamin E compounds, particular attention will be given to the description of the formation, identification, and functions of vitamin E metabolites. The hypothesis of a transformation-dependent bioactivation of vitamin E represents an intriguing and emerging aspect of research that deserves further investigation.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antioxidants / chemistry
  • Antioxidants / metabolism*
  • Antioxidants / pharmacokinetics
  • Biotransformation
  • Humans
  • Vitamin E / chemistry
  • Vitamin E / metabolism*
  • Vitamin E / pharmacokinetics

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Vitamin E