Abstract
We evaluated the effect of vitamin E on the growth of cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). A high concentration of glucose (≥200mg/dl) in the culture medium reduced the replication of BAEC. Addition of vitamin E at a physiological concentration of 6μg/ml restored the impaired replication of BAEC cultured with a high concentration of glucose. Vitamin E had no effect on the growth of BAEC cultured with 100mg/dl glucose. Proliferation of BAEC was not significantly affected by exposure to mannitol at levels equimolar with a high concentration of glucose (600mg/dl), indicating that a high osmolality was not related to the glucose-induced reduction of replication of the cells. BAEC cultured in a high glucose medium may be susceptible to oxidative stress, and the benefit effect of vitamin E may be partly due to a reduction in oxidative damage. Vitamin E may protect endothelial cells against glucose-induced injury.
