Antioxidant and Prooxidant Effects of Tocopherol

A computer simulation of the kinetics of free-radical oxidation of lipids in the presence of tocopherol was performed. The induction periods and initial rates of oxidation as functions of initial tocopherol concentrations were found to exhibit extremums. The extended kinetic scheme used in this study describes all types of observed relationships and eliminates illusory contradictions between two groups of experiments in which the antioxidant and prooxidant effects of tocopherol were found. The model can form a basis for the prediction of the effects of tocopherol and its analogs under real conditions.