alpha- and gamma-Tocopherol prevent age-related transcriptional alterations in the heart and brain of mice

We used high-density oligonucleotide arrays to measure transcriptional alterations in the heart and brain (neocortex) of 30-mo-old {B6C3F(1)} mice supplemented with alpha-tocopherol {(alphaT)} and gamma-tocopherol {(gammaT)} since middle age (15 mo). Gene expression profiles were obtained from 5- and 30-mo-old control mice and 30-mo-old mice supplemented with {alphaT} (1 g/kg) or a mixture of {alphaT} and {gammaT} (500 mg/kg of each tocopherol) from middle age (15 mo). In the heart, both tocopherol-supplemented diets were effective in inhibiting the expression of genes previously associated with cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and increased innate immunity. In the brain, induction of genes encoding ribosomal proteins and proteins involved in {ATP} biosynthesis was observed with aging and was markedly prevented by the mixture of {alphaT} and {gammaT} supplementation but not by {alphaT} alone. These results demonstrate that middle age-onset dietary supplementation with {alphaT} and {gammaT} can partially prevent age-associated transcriptional changes and that these effects are tissue and tocopherol specific.