Potent Antioxidants(1, 2)
- Tocotrienols are powerful lipid soluble anti-oxidants with superior ability to quench and scavenge free radicals.
- Superoxide anions, hydroxyl radicals and lipid peroxyl radicals are highly reactive free radicals which arise from normal body metabolism and environmental exposure to cigarette smoke, air pollution, radiation, certain drugs and environmental toxins.
- These species may react with DNA, proteins or lipids of cell structures and impair their physiological functions. It is believed that these processes are the initial events in the pathogenesis of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, age-related macular degeneration and aging.
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The anti-oxidant function of Tocotrienols is localized in the chromanol nucleus, where a hydrogen atom is abstracted from the OH group in the Tocotrienols by a peroxyl radical (LOO°) in reaction (1). The hydrogen abstraction produces a tocotrienoxyl radical (T°); which combines with another peroxyl radical in reaction (2) to yield a non-radical product (NRP).
LOO°+TOH → LOOH + TO° (1)
LOO°+TO° ← LOO – TO (NRP) (2)
- Alpha-tocotrienols has been shown to be 40 - 60 times more potent than alpha-tocopherol as an antioxidant in the prevention of lipid peroxidation.
- Delta-tocotrienols is the most potent antioxidant (highest antioxidant potency) of all commercially available tocotrienols and has been shown to be the most effective tocotrienols in inhibiting human breast cancer and liver cancer cells.
- Effective antioxidant in the prevention of protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation after strenous exercise for athletes, joggers and body builders.
- The antioxidant property of alpha-tocotrienols promotes strong dose-dependent reduction of cholesterol in human macrophages.
- Tocotrienols have more potent antioxidant properties than tocopherol. Antioxidant and free radical scavenging of tocotrienols are more superior than tocopherols due to their better distribution in the fatty layers of the cell membrane.
