Vitamin E dietary supplementation inhibits transforming growth factor β1 gene expression in the rat liver

Overexpression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) and increased transcription of pro-collagen type I, are known to represent major events implicated in the development of liver fibrosis under either experimental or clinical conditions. Here we report that long-term dietary vitamin E supplementation in animals undergoing an experimental model of liver fibrosis (induced by chronic treatment of rats with carbon tetrachloride) results in a net inhibition of both hepatic TGFβ1 and α2 (I) procollagen mRNA levels. Moreover, of striking interest is the observation that vitamin E supplementation per so down-modulates basal levels of TGFβ1 mRNA in the liver of untreated animals, suggesting that a dietary regimen rich in vitamin E may potentially interfere with both the initiation and progression of the fibrosclerotic processes.