Vitamin E therapy in patients with NASH

Vitamin E: Emerging aspects and new directions

The discovery of vitamin E will have its 100th anniversary in 2022, but we still have more questions than answers regarding the biological functions and the essentiality of vitamin E for human health. Discovered as a factor essential for rat fertility and soon after characterized for its properties of fat-soluble antioxidant, vitamin E was identified to have signaling and gene regulation effects in the 1980s. In the same years the cytochrome P-450 dependent metabolism of vitamin E was characterized and a first series of studies on short-chain carboxyethyl metabolites in the 1990s paved the way to the hypothesis of a biological role for this metabolism alternative to vitamin E catabolism. In the last decade other physiological metabolites of vitamin E have been identified, such as α-tocopheryl phosphate and the long-chain metabolites formed by the ω-hydroxylase activity of cytochrome P-450. Recent findings are consistent with gene regulation and homeostatic roles of these metabolites in different experimental models, such as inflammatory, neuronal and hepatic cells, and in vivo in animal models of acute inflammation. Molecular mechanisms underlying these responses are under investigation in several laboratories and side-glances to research on other fat soluble vitamins may help to move faster in this direction. Other emerging aspects presented in this review paper include novel insights on the mechanisms of reduction of the cardiovascular risk, immunomodulation and antiallergic effects, neuroprotection properties in models of glutamate excitotoxicity and spino-cerebellar damage, hepatoprotection and prevention of liver toxicity by different causes and even therapeutic applications in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. We here discuss these topics with the aim of stimulating the interest of the scientific community and further research activities that may help to celebrate this anniversary of vitamin E with an in-depth knowledge of its action as vitamin.

Effective therapy using voglibose for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in a patient with insufficient dietary and exercise therapy: exploring other treatment possibilities

A 56-year-old Japanese female with a 10-year history of thyroiditis presented to our institution. The laboratory data and clinical findings suggested that the patient had complicated nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with autoimmune hepatitis according to the criteria by the application of the International Autoimmune Hepatitis score. The patient could not manage by herself so dietary- and exercise-based treatment was difficult. Accordingly, ursodeoxycholic acid and ezetimibe therapy was started and continued until the performance of a liver needle biopsy to define the diagnosis. However, no improvement in liver function was observed. In addition, pathological findings indicated that the patient had NASH. The patient was finally diagnosed as having NASH. Therefore, voglibose was added to the ursodeoxycholic acid and ezetimibe therapy, and this addition of voglibose actually took effect. The patient's serum aspartate transaminase and alanine aminotransferase levels decreased dramatically. This report is the first to document other treatment possibilities of NASH in a case when dietary therapy is difficult.