?O ka Vitamin E he mea ?ala ?ole a ?ono ?ole ka momona momona momona me ka antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory a me nā hana ?ē a?e. Wahi a kona ?ano molekala, hiki ke ho?oka?awale ?ia i ?elua mau ?āpana: tocopherols a me tocotrienols. Ho?oka?awale ?ia kēlā me kēia ?āpana i ?ehā mau ?ano ma muli o ke kūlana methyl ma ke apo chromophore: alpha, beta, gamma, a me delta [1-2]. ?O nā pūhui e pili ana i nā tocopherols, e like me nā tocotrienols, loa?a kahi hana i ka wā e ?oko?a ai nā mea pani, akā ua emi nui ka hana o nā tocopherols.

Loa?a i ka tocopherol a me ka tocotrienol nā hopena antioxidant ikaika. Ma muli o ka hana o ka alpha tocopherol transfer protein (alpha TP) a me ka tocopherol binding protein (TBP) i loko o ke kino, ?oi aku ka ma?alahi o ka tocopherol a ho?ohana ?ia e ke kino. No laila, ua mana?o ?ia ?o alpha tocopherol ka hō?ike nui o ka hana antioxidant o ka vitamin E i ke kino. ?O ka Alpha tocopherol, me ka molecular formula o C29H50O2 a me ka molecular weight o 430.5, ua māhele ?ia i ?elua ?ano ma muli o kona kumu: kūlohelohe a me ka synthetic, i kapa ?ia ?o D-type a me L-type, kēlā me kēia. Aia ka alpha tocopherol kūlohelohe i ka R conformation (RRR), a?o ka alpha tocopherol i hana ?ia i loko o ka conformation RS (RRR, RSR, RRS, RSS, SRR, SSR, SRS, SSS). Ua pili ka conformation i kāna hana, a ua ?ike ?ia nā ha?awina he alpha tocopherol wale nō me 2R a ?oi a?e paha hiki ke ho?ohana ?ia e ke kino. No laila, ?oi aku ka waiwai o ka alpha tocopherol maoli a ?oi aku ka palekana ma mua o ka alpha tocopherol i hana ?ia.