Vitamin E yog ib qho tsis muaj ntxhiab tsw thiab tsw qab lub teeb daj rog soluble vitamin nrog antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory thiab lwm yam dej num. Raws li nws cov qauv molecular, nws tuaj yeem muab faib ua ob pawg: tocopherols thiab tocotrienols. Txhua pawg tau muab faib ua plaub hom raws li txoj haujlwm methyl ntawm lub nplhaib chromophore: alpha, beta, gamma, thiab delta [1-2]. Cov tshuaj muaj feem xyuam nrog tocopherols, xws li tocotrienols, muaj qee yam kev ua haujlwm thaum cov khoom siv sib txawv, tab sis kev ua ntawm tocopherols txo qis.

Ob leeg tocopherol thiab tocotrienol muaj zog antioxidant teebmeem. Vim yog kev ua ntawm alpha tocopherol hloov cov protein (alpha TP) thiab tocopherol binding protein (TBP) hauv lub cev, tocopherol yog yooj yim dua absorbed thiab siv los ntawm lub cev. Yog li ntawd, alpha tocopherol yog suav hais tias yog lub ntsiab tshwm sim ntawm vitamin E cov tshuaj antioxidant hauv lub cev. Alpha tocopherol, nrog rau cov mis molecular ntawm C29H50O2 thiab ib qho hnyav molecular ntawm 430.5, muab faib ua ob hom raws li nws qhov chaw: ntuj thiab hluavtaws, denoted li D-hom thiab L-hom, feem. Ntuj alpha tocopherol yog nyob rau hauv R conformation (RRR), thaum artificially synthesized alpha tocopherol nyob rau hauv RS conformation (RRR, RSR, RRS, RSS, SRR, SSR, SRS, SSS). Kev sib haum xeeb yog cuam tshuam nrog nws cov haujlwm, thiab kev tshawb fawb pom tias tsuas yog alpha tocopherol nrog 2R lossis ntau dua tuaj yeem siv thiab nqus los ntawm lub cev. Yog li ntawd, ntuj alpha tocopherol muaj cov khoom noj muaj txiaj ntsig ntau dua thiab muaj kev nyab xeeb dua li cov khoom siv hluavtaws alpha tocopherol.