MOLECULAR PHARMACOLOGY OF VITAMIN-E - STRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY

In this review, the involvement of vitamin E in free radical physiolog y and antioxidant mechanisms is discussed. Moreover, structure-activit y relationship (SAR) studies on vitamin E analogues are presented. A m olecular explanation for the antioxidant activity often is based on mo lecular parameters, such as Hammett sigma and Brown sigma+. These para meters correlate with the activity. Using semiempirical calculations, we have found other molecular parameters related to electron distribut ion and structure (such as the difference in heat of formation between the compound and its radical or the energy of the highest occupied mo lecular orbital, HOMO) which correlate with the antioxidant action of vitamin E and its derivatives.