pubmed-article:8407167 | pubmed:abstractText | The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (Cat) were determined in human fibroblast cultures at four concentrations of exogenous alpha-tocopherol: 0.2, 2.5, 10 and 50 micrograms/ml of culture medium, or without alpha-tocopherol. Relationships between alpha-tocopherol levels and the activities of SOD and GPx were identified. The cellular alpha-tocopherol level correlated with GPx activity (p < or = 0.01) and inversely correlated with SOD activity (p < or = 0.003), but only when alpha-tocopherol was added to the culture medium. The variations in the cellular GPx/SOD ratio depended on the level of cellular alpha-tocopherol (p < or = 0.001). Furthermore, there was a strong inverse correlation between SOD and GPx activity (p < or = 0.0001). Cat activity did not correlate either with cellular alpha-tocopherol concentration, or with SOD or GPx activity. These results underline the complex interplay between alpha-tocopherol and other antioxidant systems in human fibroblast cultures. | lld:pubmed |