VITAMIN E AS AN ANTIOXIDANT

LIPID PEROXIDATION

One property of vitamin E is the ability to rapidly scavenge the lipid peroxyl radical before it reacts with the lipid substrate.

Among the different radicals that can be present in the body, peroxyl radicals in membranes are the ones that α-tocopherol protects against most efficiently.

Figure
Inhibition of lipid peroxidation by vitamin E
Vitamin E quenches peroxyl radical, thereby preventing the chain reaction. Vitamin E is then converted to a radical.