43) The second line of defense against oxidant-induced cellular injury is provided by low molecular weight scavengers such as thiols, especially reduced glutathione, alphatocopherol (vitamin E), vitamin C, carotenoids, methionine and taurine.
However, many of the protective effects of minocycline have been explained by its antioxidant capacity by interfering with the production of ROS through four different mechanisms of action: 1) its ability to trap free radicals comparable to alphatocopherol (23).
Preliminary research, largely in animals, suggests that natural vitamin E rich in gammatocopherol and, depending on the oil source, delta-tocopherol, may be more cancer preventive than alphatocopherol alone, which is the only form in synthetic vitamin E.
Compared to infants born full-term, preterm infants are more vulnerable to oxidative stress caused by infections, mechanical ventilation, intravenous nutrition, and deficiency in alphatocopherol which accumulates mainly during the third trimester of pregnancy (15).