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Vitamin E and Alzheimer’s disease: the mediating role of cellular aging

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Abstract

Background

Vitamin E represents a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory system, playing a role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Different plasma concentrations of the forms of vitamin E are observed in AD compared to cognitively healthy subjects.

Aim

Since these modifications may modulate the markers of oxidative stress and cellular aging, we aim to explore the relationship between vitamin E forms and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in AD.

Methods

53 AD subjects and 40 cognitively healthy controls (CTs) were enrolled. The vitamin E forms (α-, β-, γ- and δ-tocopherol, α-, β-, γ- and δ-tocotrienol), the ratio of α-tocopherylquinone/α-tocopherol and 5-nitro-γ-tocopherol/γ-tocopherol (markers of oxidative/nitrosative damage) and LTL were measured.

Results and discussion

Regression model was used to explore the associations of vitamin E forms and LTL with AD. The interaction of LTL in the association between vitamin E forms and AD was tested. AD subjects showed significantly lower concentrations of α-, β-, γ- and δ-tocopherol, α- and δ-tocotrienol, total tocopherols, total tocotrienols and total vitamin E compared to CTs. AD subjects showed higher values of nitrosative/oxidative damage. The adjusted analyses confirmed a significant relationship of AD with plasma concentrations of α- and β-tocopherols, δ-tocotrienol, total tocopherols, total tocotrienol, total vitamin E and oxidative/nitrosative damage. However, nitrosative damage was significantly associated with AD only in subjects with higher LTL and not in those expressing marked cellular aging.

Conclusions

Our study confirms the role of vitamin E in AD pathology and indicates that nitrosative damage influences the association with AD only in subjects characterized by longer LTL.

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Author notes

  1. Martina Casati and Virginia Boccardi equal contribution.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geriatric Unit, Fondazione Ca’ Granda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy

    Martina Casati, Evelyn Ferri, Laura Bertagnoli, Simona Ciccone, Marta Mansi, Paolo Dionigi Rossi & Beatrice Arosio

  2. Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Perugia, Italy

    Virginia Boccardi, Patrizia Bastiani, Michela Scamosci & Patrizia Mecocci

  3. Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy

    Beatrice Arosio

Authors
  1. Martina Casati
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  2. Virginia Boccardi
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Correspondence to Martina Casati.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Casati, M., Boccardi, V., Ferri, E. et al. Vitamin E and Alzheimer’s disease: the mediating role of cellular aging. Aging Clin Exp Res 32, 459–464 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-019-01209-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-019-01209-3

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