Vitamine E ni vitamine idafite impumuro nziza kandi idafite uburyohe bwa vitamine iboneka hamwe na antioxydants, anticancer, anti-inflammatory nibindi bikorwa. Ukurikije imiterere ya molekile yayo, irashobora kugabanywamo ibyiciro bibiri: tocopherol na tocotrienol. Buri cyiciro kigabanyijemo ubwoko bune bushingiye ku mwanya wa methyl ku mpeta ya chromofore: alfa, beta, gamma, na delta [1-2]. Imvange zijyanye na tocopherol, nka tocotrienol, zifite ibikorwa runaka mugihe insimburangingo zitandukanye, ariko ibikorwa bya tocopherol bigabanuka cyane.

Tocopherol na tocotrienol byombi bigira ingaruka zikomeye za antioxydeant. Bitewe nigikorwa cya alpha tocopherol yohereza poroteyine (alpha TP) hamwe na tocopherol ihuza protein (TBP) mu mubiri, tocopherol irinjira cyane kandi ikoreshwa numubiri. Kubwibyo, alpha tocopherol ifatwa nkigaragaza nyamukuru ibikorwa bya antioxydeant ya vitamine E mu mubiri. Alpha tocopherol, hamwe na molekuline ya C29H50O2 hamwe nuburemere bwa molekuline ya 430.5, igabanijwemo ubwoko bubiri bushingiye ku nkomoko yabyo: kamere na sintetike, bisobanurwa nkubwoko bwa D na L. Alpha tocopherol isanzwe iri muburyo bwa R (RRR), mugihe synthèse artificiel alpha tocopherol iri muburyo bwa RS (RRR, RSR, RRS, RSS, SRR, SSR, SRS, SSS). Guhinduka bifitanye isano nibikorwa byayo, kandi ubushakashatsi bwerekanye ko alpha tocopherol yonyine ifite 2R cyangwa irenga ishobora gukoreshwa no kwinjizwa numubiri. Kubwibyo, alfa tocopherol isanzwe ifite agaciro kintungamubiri kandi ifite umutekano kuruta guhuza ibihimbano bya alpha tocopherol