Time- and dose-dependent differential regulation of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase and manganese superoxide dismutase enzymatic activity and mRNA level by vitamin E in rat blood cells.

Background: Vitamin E is the most important lipid-soluble antioxidant. Recently, it has been proposed as a gene regulator, and its gene modulation effects have been observed at different levels of gene expression and cell signaling. This study was performed to investigate the effects of vitamin E on the activity and expression of the most important endogenous antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD), in rat plasma.