Description:
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The purpose of this
research study is to learn whether high dose vitamin E (gamma
tocopherol) will affect the way your body responds to an acute
inflammation in your lungs. Vitamin E is found in soybean and vegetable
oils as well as many plant seeds. Gamma tocopherol (gT), a component of
vitamin E, composes 70-80% of Vitamin E in the diet.
Alpha tocopherol (aT), another large component of vitamin E, makes up
less than 10% of vitamin E in the diet, but is the major form in blood
and tissue. It is also the major form of Vitamin E in over-the-counter
supplements. However, gT has anti-inflammatory properties which are not
present in aT. Preliminary data suggests that gT protects from
ozone-induced exacerbation in animal studies, and previous studies have
shown levels of gT are inversely associated with heart disease.
We will ask you to
undergo a challenge with endotoxin, which is a bacterial component of
air pollution. From
other studies we have done, we know that if you inhale 20,000 EUs
(endotoxin units) we will see an increase in the number of neutrophils
(a type of white blood cell that your body produces to fight infection)
in your lung cells without causing you to have flu-like symptoms. We
will investigate if there is a change in your lung inflammatory cells
after
the endotoxin challenge when you take the gT versus when you take a
placebo.
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