C. Abiaka et al., Plasma concentrations of alpha-tocopherol and urate in patients with different types of cancer, J CLIN PH T, 26(4), 2001, pp. 265-270
Objective: To measure plasma concentrations of alpha-tocopherol and urate t
o determine whether there is any relationship with different types of cance
r before treatment.
Method: Plasma concentrations of those two antioxidants were measured in ca
ncer patients and sex- and age-matched controls. Plasma total cholesterol c
oncentration was measured to derive an alpha-tocopherol/cholesterol ratio.
Results: Alpha-tocopherol and urate concentrations as well as alpha-tocophe
rol/cholesterol ratios were significantly lower in the cancer patients as w
hole, in gastrointestinal cancer and in breast cancer compared to the contr
ols. There was no significant relationship between alpha-tocopherol and ura
te levels in either the plasma of patients (r = 0.048; P = 0.653) or contro
ls (r = 0.073; P = 0.406). Alpha-tocopherol was more positively correlated
with cholesterol in the plasma of controls (r = 0.539; P < 0.0001) in compa
rison with the patients (r = 0.456; P < 0.0001). There was no significant c
orrelation between urate and cholesterol levels in both patient and control
plasma samples.
Conclusion: The data suggest that although alpha-tocopherol and urate provi
de important antioxidant defence in cancer, the association between their l
evels is weak.