Tocotrienol

Tocotrienols are plant-derived <a href="/facts/Natural_product/J4RsVhmP">natural products</a> belonging to the <a href="/facts/Vitamin_E/UcL1ghae">vitamin E</a> family of <a href="/facts/Diterpenoid/sPocqDp2">diterpenoids</a>. They exist as four isomers (alpha, beta, gamma, delta), each differing in the number and position of methyl groups on their <a href="/facts/Chromane/GbAQLA78">chromanol</a> ring. Tocotrienols are distinguished from the closely related <a href="/facts/Tocopherol/3cFB6LDc">tocopherols</a> by their side chains: tocotrienols have three unsaturated <a href="/facts/Isoprenoid/1GvG7W7v">isoprenoid</a> double bonds, whereas tocopherols have a fully saturated side chain.
Tocotrienols are compounds naturally occurring in some foods sources, the richest being <a href="/facts/Palm_oil/n8zHXqoG">palm oil</a>, but to a lesser extent <a href="/facts/Rice_bran_oil/RCk9UbaC">rice bran oil</a>, <a href="/facts/Barley/GH7X2qtG">barley</a>, <a href="/facts/Oats/wn3vnCnT">oats</a>, 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 <a href="/facts/Antioxidant/4TG4MQ83">antioxidant</a>, 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 <a href="/facts/Hydroxyl/1Hs2QAEv">hydroxyl</a> group on the chromanol ring, to <a href="/facts/Free_radical/qFymuVoT">free radical</a> and <a href="/facts/Reactive_oxygen_species/GpwSRugH">reactive oxygen species</a>. 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.

Tocotrienol open-in-new

Tocotrienol