Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Fluctuation of serum vitamin E (α-tocopherol) concentrations during exacerbation and remission phases in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Heart and Vessels Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The etiology of chronic fatigue syndrome remains unknown. Oxidative stress may be involved in its pathogenesis. Vitamin E is a major endogenous lipid-soluble antioxidative substance, and is consumed during the lipid peroxidation process. We studied a population comprising 27 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (10 men and 17 women, 29 ± 6 years of age) and 27 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Serum vitamin E (α-tocopherol) concentrations were determined and expressed as mg/g total lipids (total cholesterol and triglyceride) to evaluate oxidative stress. Serum α-tocopherol concentrations (mg/g lipids) were significantly (P < 0.001) lower in the patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (2.81 ± 0.73) than in the control subjects (3.88 ± 0.65). The patients with chronic fatigue syndrome were re-examined during a follow-up interval. After 8 ± 2 months, 16 patients exhibited a status that warranted re-examination during remission of the symptoms at a regular visit to our hospital (Group 1), while the remaining 11 did not (Group 2). The serum α-tocopherol levels were significantly elevated during remission as compared with those at baseline in Group 1 (2.71 ± 0.62 → 3.24 ± 0.83, P < 0.001). The levels did not significantly change after the interval in Group 2 (2.97 ± 0.86 → 2.85 ± 0.73, not significant). In conclusion, serum α-tocopherol concentrations were significantly lower in the patients with chronic fatigue syndrome as compared with the control subjects, suggesting increased oxidative stress in the former. The low level of serum α-tocopherol was ameliorated during the remission phase as compared with the exacerbation phase in the patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, suggesting that increased oxidative stress may be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome and might also be directly related to the severity of the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Holmes GP, Kaplan JE, Gantz NM, Komaroff AL, Schonberger LB, Straus SE, Jones JF, Dibois RE, Cunningham-Rundles C, Pahwa S, Tosato G, Zegans LS, Purtilo DT, Brown N, Schooley RT, Brus I (1988) Chronic fatigue syndrome: a working case definition. Ann Int Med 108:387–389

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Afari N, Buchwald D (2003) Chronic fatigue syndrome: a review. Am J Psychiatry 160:221–236

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Straus SE, Tosato G, Armstrong G, Lawley T, Preble OT, Henle W, Davey R, Pearson G, Epstein J, Brus I, Blaese RM (1985) Persisting illness and fatigue in adults with evidence of Epstein-Barr virus infection. Ann Intern Med 102:7–16

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Landay AI, Jessop C, Lennette ET, Levy JA (1991) Chronic fatigue syndrome: clinical condition associated with immune activation. Lancet 338:707–712

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Shafran SD (1991) The chronic fatigue syndrome. Am J Med 90:730–739

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Klonoff DC (1992) Chronic fatigue syndrome. Clin Infect Dis 15:812–823

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Miwa K, Fujita M (2008) Small heart syndrome in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Clin Cardiol 31:328–333

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Vecchiet J, Cipollone F, Falasca K, Mazzetti A, Pizzigallo E, Bucciarelli T, de Laurentis S, Affaitati G, de Cesare D, Giamberardino MA (2003) Relationship between musculoskeletal symptoms and blood markers of oxidative stress in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Neuroscience Lett 325:151–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Jammes Y, Steinberg JG, Mambrini O, Brégeon F, Delliaux S (2005) Chronic fatigue syndrome: assessment of increased oxidative stress and altered muscle excitability in response to incremental exercise. J Int Med 257:299–310

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ozgocmen S, Ozyurt H, Sogut S, Akyol O (2006) Current concepts in the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia: the potential role of oxidative stress and nitric oxide. Reumatol Int 26:585–597

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Snell CR, Vanness M, Strayer DR, Stevens SR (2005) Exercise capacity and immune function in male and female patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). In Vivo 19:387–390

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Kim SY, Lee-Kim YC, Kim MK, Suh JY, Chung EJ, Cho SY, Cho BK, Suh I (1996) Serum levels of antioxidant vitamins in relation to coronary artery disease: a case control study of Koreans. Biomed Environ Sci 9:229–235

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Pitsavos C, Chrysohoou C, Panagiotakos DB, Lentzas Y, Stefanadis C (2008) Abdominal obesity and inflammation predicts hypertension among prehypertensive men and women: the ATTICA Study. Heart Vessels 23:96–103

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Napoli C, Balestrieri ML, Sica V, Lerman LO, Crimi E, De Rosa G, Schiano C, Servillo L, D’Armiento FP (2008) Beneficial effects of low doses of red wine consumption on perturbed shear stress-induced atherogenesis. Heart Vessels 23:124–133

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Miwa K, Okinaga S, Fujita M (2004) Low serum α-tocopherol concentrations in subjects with various coronary risk factors. Circ J 68:542–546

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Miwa K, Fujita M (2008) Gender difference in oxidative stress and its genesis by analysis of serum α-tocopherol concentrations in a Japanese population. Int J Cardiol 129:453–454

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Miwa K, Kishimoto C, Nakamura H, Makita T, Ishii K, Okuda N, Yodoi J, Sasayama S (2005) Serum thioredoxin and α-tocopherol concentrations in patients with major risk factors. Circ J 69: 291–294

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Miwa K, Fujita M (2009) Increased oxidative stress suggested by low serum vitamin E concentrations in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Int J Cardiol 136:238–239

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Fukuda K, Straus SE, Hickle I, Sharpe Mc, Dobbins JG, Komaroff A, International Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Study Group (1994) The chronic fatigue syndrome: A comprehensive approach to its definition and study. Ann Int Med 121:953–959

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Miwa K, Miyagi Y, Igawa A, Nakagawa K, Inoue H (1996) Vitamin E deficiency in variant angina. Circulation 94:14–18

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Thurnham DI, Davies JA, Crump BJ, Situnayake RD, Davis M (1986) The use of different lipids to express serum tocopherol: lipid ratios for the measurement of vitamin E status. Ann Clin Biochem 23:514–520

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Friedewald WT, Levy RI, Frederickson DS (1972) Estimation of the concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in plasma without use of the preparative ultracentrifuge. Clin Chem 18: 499–508

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Pellmar T (1986) Electrophysiological correlates of peroxide damage in guinea pig hippocampus in vitro. Brain Res 364: 377–381

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Pellmer TC (1987) Peroxide alters neuronal excitability in the CA1 region of guinea-pig hippocampus in vitro. Neuroscience 23:447–456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Kataoka Y, Morii H, Imamura K, Cui Y, Kobayashi M, Watanabe Y (2000) Control of neurotransmission, behaviour and development, by photo-dynamic manipulation of tissue redox state of brain targets. Eur J Neurosci 12:4417–4423

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Carney JM, Starke-Reed PE, Oliver CN, Landum RW, Cheng MS, Wu JF, Floyd RA (1991) Reversal of age-related increase in brain protein oxidation, decrease in enzyme activity, and loss in temporal and spatial memory by chronic administration of the spin-trapping compound N-tert-butyl-α-phenylnitrone. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88:3633–3636

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Reynolds IJ, Hastings TG. (1995) Glutamate induces the production of reactive oxygen species in cultured forebrain neurons following NMDA receptor activation. J Neurosci 15:3318–3327

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Bindkas VP, Jordán J, Lee CC, Miller RJ (1996) Superoxide production in rat hippocampal neurons: selective imaging with hydroethidine. J Neurosci 16:1324–1336

    Google Scholar 

  29. Melchert H-U, Pabel E (1998) The tocopherol pattern in human serum is markedly influenced by intake of vitamin E drugs—results of the German national health surveys. JAOCS 75: 213–216

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Hensley K, Benaksas EJ, Bolli R, Comp P, Grammas P, Hamdheydari L, Mou S, Pye QN, Stoddard MF, Wallis G, Williamson KS, West M, Wechter WJ, Floyd RA (2004) New perspectives on vitamin E: γ-tocopherol and carboxyethylhydroxychroman metabolites in biology and medicine. Free Radic Biol Med 36:1–15

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Li D, Saldeen T, Mehta JL (1999) γ-Tocopherol decreases ox-LDL-mediated activation of nuclear factor κB and apoptosis in human coronary artery endothelial cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 259:157–161

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Jiang Q, Elson-Schwab I, Courtemanche C, Ames BN (2000) γ-Tocopherol and its major metabolite, in contrast to α-tocopherol, inhibit cyclooxygenase activity in macrophages and epithelial cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97:11494–11499

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Kunihisa Miwa

    Present address: Miwa Naika Clinic, 1-4-3 Shintomicho, Toyama, 930-0002, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Nanto Family and Community Medical Center, 577 Matsubara, Nanto, Toyama, 939-1518, Japan

    Kunihisa Miwa

  2. Human Health Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan

    Masatoshi Fujita

Authors
  1. Kunihisa Miwa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Masatoshi Fujita
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kunihisa Miwa.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Miwa, K., Fujita, M. Fluctuation of serum vitamin E (α-tocopherol) concentrations during exacerbation and remission phases in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Heart Vessels 25, 319–323 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00380-009-1206-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00380-009-1206-6

Key words

Search

Navigation