Tocotrienol

Tocotrienols are plant-derived natural products belonging to the vitamin E family of diterpenoids. They exist as four isomers (alpha, beta, gamma, delta), each differing in the number and position of methyl groups on their chromanol ring. Tocotrienols are distinguished from the closely related tocopherols by their side chains: tocotrienols have three unsaturated isoprenoid double bonds, whereas tocopherols have a fully saturated side chain. Tocotrienols are compounds naturally occurring in some foods sources, the richest being palm oil, but to a lesser extent rice bran oil, barley, oats, and certain seeds, nuts and grains, and the oils derived from them. Chemically, different analogues of vitamin E all show some activity as a chemical antioxidant, but do not all have the same vitamin E equivalence. Tocotrienols demonstrate activity depending on the type of antioxidant performance being measured. All tocotrienols have some physical antioxidant activity due to an ability to donate a hydrogen atom (a proton plus electron) from the hydroxyl group on the chromanol ring, to free radical and reactive oxygen species. However, they are all weaker in bioactivity than α-tocopherol. Historically studies of tocotrienols account for less than 1% of all research into vitamin E. Tocotrienols are generally well tolerated and without significant side effects.