Improvement of endothelial vasomotor dysfunction by treatment with alpha-tocopherol in patients with high remnant lipoproteins levels

OBJECTIVES This study sought to examine whether oral intake of alpha-tocopherol, an antioxidant, could improve endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in patients with high remnant lipoproteins levels. BACKGROUND Remnant lipoproteins are known to be atherogenic and impair endothelium-dependent arterial relaxation, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Oxidative stress is common feature of various risk factors for atherosclerosis. METHODS Flow-mediated vasodilation of the brachial artery during reactive hyperemi was examined by high resolution ultrasound technique before and at the end of 4 weeks treatment with oral administration of alpha-tocopherol acetate (300 IU/day) or placebo, which was randomly assigned, in 40 patients with high serum levels of remnants and in 30 patients with low remnants levels in the fasting state (>75th percentile and <25th percentile, respectively, of the distribution of remnants levels in 150 consecutive hospitalized patients). RESULTS Before treatment, flow-mediated vasodilation was lower in patients with high remnants levels than in those with low levels (4.1 ± 0.3% vs. 6.0 ± 0.5%, p < 0.01). Treatment with alpha-tocopherol but not with placebo significantly increased flow-mediated dilation in patients with high remnants levels (7.5 ± 0.4% after alpha-tocopherol vs. 4.2 ± 0.4% after placebo, p < 0.01). In patients with low remnants levels, alpha-tocopherol was not effective. The beneficial effect with alpha-tocopherol in high remnants patients was associated with decrease in plasm levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, an indicator of lipid peroxidation (6.6 ± 0.3 nmol/ml before alpha-tocopherol vs. 4.6 ± 0.3 after alpha-tocopherol, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Alpha-tocopherol improved impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilation in patients with high remnants levels. The increase in oxidative stress may at least partly contribute to endothelial vasomotor dysfunction in patients with high remnants levels.