Tocotrienols From Palm Oil as Anticancer Drugs

8/8/2019 Tocotrienols From Palm Oil as Anticancer Drugs

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Tocotrienols from Palm Oil as

anticancer drugs


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Tocotrienols

Natural vitamin E four saturated analogues (, , , and ) tocopherols

four unsaturated analogues (, , , and ) tocotrienols

In many cereal grains (ie. oat, barley, and rye, rice bran) and

in palm oil, there are more tocotrienols than tocopherols Crude palm oil extracted from the fruits ofElaeis guineensis

particularly contains a high amount of tocotrienols ,particularly rich source of (, , and ) tocotrienol


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Natural sources of tocotrienols


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Content of tocotrienol and tocopherol isomers

from various sources.


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Possible Mechanisms of Cancer Inhibition

by Tocotrienol

T3> T3> -T3> -T> -T> -T

Antioxidant Potency: Reduction of lipid peroxidationand formation of reactive products prevent DNA

mutations that increase the risk of cancer. Tocotrienol may inhibit cancer by the quenching of free

radicals, or increase the efficacy of anti-tumor actionsby strengthening the immune system.

Double bonds in the isoprenoid side chain -tocotrienolsmove freely and more efficiently within cellmembranes than tocopherols, giving tocotrienolsgreater ability to catch and fight free radicals.


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Apoptosis Activation: Basically, apoptosis is an encoded suicide program

designed to protect cells from becoming cancerous.When this process does not work cancer develops.

Tocotrienols are effective promoters of apoptosis. Tocotrienol may stimulate death receptors such as

tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and Fas, which leads toactivation of caspases, including caspase-8, -9, and 3. Activation of these caspases mediates the various

cytoplasmic and nuclear events associated withapoptosis. A recent study showed that gamma-tocotrienol stimulates a rise in caspase-8, -9, and -3,thereby inducing apoptosis.


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Anti-proliferation Further studies on tocotrienol and breast cancer indicated that

gamma-tocotrienol targets cancer cells by inhibiting Id1, a keycancer-promoting protein. Gamma-tocotrienol was shown totrigger cell apoptosis and well as anti-proliferation of cancercells.

The antiproliferative effect of isoprenoids is thought to be dueto suppression of the mevalonate pathway, through whichmutated ras proteins transform healthy cells into cancer cells.Mutated ras is the most common cellular defect found in humancancers. The mevalonate pathway escapes regulatory control intumor tissue but remains highly sensitive to regulation by toco-trienols. Tocotrienols are at least five times more powerful thanfarnesol, the body's regulator of the mevalonate pathway


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Angiogenesis Inhibition: Recent studies showed thattocotrienols but not tocopherols inhibit angiogenesis,an indispensable step in tumor growth. Vascularendothelial growth factor (VEGF) regulates

angiogenesis by binding to VEGF receptor (VEGFR

) inendothelial cells. Tocotrienol may downregulateVEGFR, therefore blocking intracellular signaling ofVEGF and inhibiting angiogenesis. Since angiogenesis isessential to tumor growth, its inhibition may likely

prevent cancer metastasis.


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Gamma-tocotrienols was shown to be three times

more potent in inhibiting growth of human breastcancer cultured cells than chemotherapy drugtamoxifen (standard treatment of breast cancer).

Tocotrienols in combination with tamoxifen were more

inhibitory than either compound alone in bothestrogen-responsive and nonresponsive breast cancercells. The synergism between tamoxifen andtocotrienols may allow for the use of lower doses oftamoxifen and reduce its risk of adverse side effects.

Tocotrienols could be a good means as complement tothe chemotherapy of breast cancer.

Tocotrienols From Palm Oil as Anticancer Drugs

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