Analysis of tocopherols and tocotrienols in human breast adipose tissue

Ewa Bartosińska, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
Danuta Siluk, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
Julia Jacyna, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
Agnieszka Borsuk-De Moor, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
Michał Kaliszan, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
Jerzy Jankau, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
Wiesław J. Kruszewski, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
Paweł Wiczling, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
Michał Markuszewski, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

Vitamin E homologues, tocopherols and tocotrienols, have been under thorough scientific investigation for several years. In the scientific literature, there are reports about potential anticancer properties of some tocochromanols, including beneficial activity in breast cancer. As adipose tissue can represent a long-term storage of lipophilic compounds in human organism, it was used for comparative studies between women with breast cancer, healthy volunteers and women deceased by accidents. However, quantification of vitamin E in foods and plant material is extensively described in the literature, determination of these constituents in human or animal tissues still requires further research studies and improvement. Therefore, the aim of the study was development of a fast and sensitive analytical method for simultaneous determination of eight naturally occurring tocochromanols in human breast tissue. First, methods for homogenization and extraction of target analytes from breast adipose tissue, based on SPE technique were developed. Then, quantitative determination of four tocotrienols in human breast adipose tissue with the use of HPLC-MS/MS platform was evolved. Due to problematic repeatability of ionization efficiency of tocopherols in APCI fluorescence detector has been successfully applied.

Finally, the validated HPLC-FLD method was applied in quantitative determination of tocopherols and tocotrienols in breast adipose tissue samples obtained from Department of Oncological Surgery patients, women undergoing plastic surgery at the Department of Plastic Surgery and women deceased by accidents from Department of Forensic Medicine. The proposed analytical approach can facilitate verification of hypothesis concerning the potential protective role of vitamin E against breast cancer disease.