The Effects of Vitamin E on Antioxidant Enzyme Activity in HepG2 Cells

It is aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin E, powerful antioxidant (alpha-tocopherol succinate) on antioxidant enzyme activities in hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells. The hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2 was used and the cells were cultured in the absence (control) or presence of different dose of vitamin E (50 mM, 50 mu M and 10 mu M vitamin E) for 24 h. The effect of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol succinate) on catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) enzyme activities in hepatocarcinoma cells were measured by spectrophotometry. A significant decrease in GPx activity was detected in 50 mM vitamin E treated HepG2 cells. However a significant decrease occurred in 10 mu M and 50 mu M vitamin E applied HepG2 cells. SOD activity in study groups were lower than in control cells. In addition to this, the decrease in SOD activity in 50 mM vitamin E applied cells was significant. CAT enzyme activity in 50 mu m vitamin E applied HepG2 cells was higher and, in 10 mu M and 50 mM vitamin E applied HepG2 cells were lower than in control group. It was determined that vitamin E has a dose-dependent effect on antioxidant enzyme activity in HepG2 cells.