Many cancer patients receive their classical therapies together with vitamin supplements. However, the effectiveness of these strategies is on debate. Here we aimed to evaluate how vitamin E supplementation affects the anticancer effects of interferon (IFN-α) using an early-model of liver cancer development (initiation-promotion, IP). Male Wistar rats subjected to this model were divided as follows: untreated (IP), IP treated with recombinant IFN-α-2b (6.5 × 105 U/kg), IP treated with vitamin E (50 mg/kg), and IP treated with combination of vitamin E and IFN-α-2b. After treatments rats were fasted and euthanized and plasma and livers were collected. Combined administration of vitamin E and IFN-α-2b induced body weight drop, increased liver apoptosis, and low levels of hepatic lipids. Interestingly, vitamin E and IFN-α-2b combination also induced an increase in altered hepatic foci number, but not in size. It seems that vitamin E acts on its antioxidant capability in order to block the oxidative stress induced by IFN-α-2b, blocking in turn its beneficial effects on preneoplastic livers, leading to harmful final effects. In conclusion, this study shows that vitamin E supplementation in IFN-α-2b-treated rats exerts unwanted effects; and highlights that in spite of being natural, nutritional supplements may not always exert beneficial outcomes when used as complementary therapy for the treatment of cancer.
Keywords: Cytokines; Dietary supplements; Drug–nutrient interactions; Liver cancer; Vitamins; α-Tocopherol.
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