19F MRI of 3D CEM cells to study the effects of tocopherols and tocotrienols

Oximetry of the human T-Lymphoblastoid (CEM) cells was measured using 19F magnetic resonance imaging (19F MRI). The cells were treated with the analogues of vitamin E, α-, γ-, δ-tocopherols and corresponding tocotrienols, ex vivo in three-dimensional (3D) cell culture. The study showed that 19F MRI allows to measure the effect of the analogues due to changes of oxygenation, which were detected using MRI. Hexafluorobenzene was used as a 19F MRI probe sensitive to oxygen concentrations. After 72 h of treatment in HFBR with α-, γ-, δ-tocopherols the oxygen concentration was 19.9 ± 0.8%, 19.3 ± 1.4%, 16 ± 3.5%, respectively. The oxygen concentration in cells treated with α-, γ-, δ-tocotrienols was found to be 14 ± 1.5%, 10 ± 1.2% and 8.8 ± 1.1%, respectively whereas for the control cells it was 22.1 ± 1%. The results show that δ-tocopherol and δ-tocotrienol are the most effective treatments in CEM cells among all the tested analogues.